Ricoh SA’s support for Africa Print Expo 2013 continued this year at the Sandton Convention Centre with the result that the business generated close to 200 leads and confirmed two device sales.
One of the machines sold to a print service provider in Gauteng was the Ricoh Pro C751 production colour device while the other was the recently launched colour wide format MP CW2200.
“The show continues to bring dividends,” says Vaughan Patterson, sales manager for the production printing business group at Ricoh SA.
“Last year many attendees found the Ricoh brand a new experience, particularly in the production printing arena, but this year they knew the brand, had been exposed to the equipment and solutions and were better educated. The various technology and solution sessions we hosted at our stand also helped tremendously to gain exposure for our expertise and specialties.”
Dawie Malan, head of software sales at Ricoh SA, agrees: “Web-to-print garnered the most attention from a software solution perspective from Africa Print attendees, which was promising in a market where companies generally worry about the return on investment as these are normally totally unchartered waters for them.”
Dierdre Fernandes, marketing events, CSR, PR and sponsorship co-ordinator at Ricoh SA, says: “The show was well attended again this year but the visitor patterns saw a shift to heavier traffic in the mornings compared with last year.
“We generated more leads from the show last year, achieving nearly 300 versus 200 this year, but the addition of the technology and solution sessions gave us greater brand, product and solution exposure.”
Patterson says the new Pro 8100S, a monochrome digital production device that offers a duty cycle of three million pages per month, drew a great deal of attention.
“Central reproduction plants (CRDs) want to improve efficiencies and redirect more in-house print volumes through the print room,” says Patterson. “Speed, quality and affordability are essential to meet the needs of their in-house clients. Quality and reliability, alongside the ability to complete important jobs quickly, are essential for print service providers managing outsourced accounts.”
He also welcomes the proposed new venue for next year’s show, which is expected to be Gallagher Estate, as it will make the expo more accessible to visitors. “We believe that will have a direct impact on the number of visitors and therefore the return on our investment in the show,” he says.
Malan adds that he is keen to see the expo add to its portfolio of enabling technologies in the future that give exhibitors direct access to more diverse visitor information as they approach stands. It will help to improve engagement with attendees and allow exhibitors to direct their efforts more precisely while also enhancing the experience for visitors who will gain more relevant information in shorter time spans.
Ricoh SA was awarded second place for Best Stand among the expo’s biggest stands after the three-day event that was staged from August 21 to August 23.