PHOTOGRAPHERS. Creative pros know that innovative thinking comes from seeing new things, listening to different ideas, and being open to new experiences. That’s why successful entrepreneurs attend conferences about topics other than the skills and equipment they need at the moment.
By paying attention to where technology is headed, smart entrepreneurs are the first to envision new types of business models and anticipate trends that could potentially disrupt their current businesses.
If your business involves selling photography products or services, check out the program of the 6Sight Future of Imaging Summit, which will be held June 20 to 22 at the Sainte Claire Hotel in San Jose, California. Produced by PMA® International, this event brings together technologists, marketers, futurists, industry analysts, educators, high-volume users, and journalists to preview breakthrough imaging technologies, forecast innovative uses, and spark new ideas and alliances.
At this year’s event, mini-summits will focus on technology, trends, and opportunities in four areas: mobile imaging, social imaging, photo publishing, and photo image capture.
Mobile Imaging Summit. This track is chaired by 6Sight mobile-imaging analyst Tony Henning, who observes that “Ten years after their introduction in Japan, camera phones are finally delivering on their promise. In the last few years, camera-phones and their ecosystem have progressed from being the unwanted stepchild of the imaging industry to the driving force. Significant growth and innovation in the photography industry is coming from the mobile side.”
The keynoter will be J. Gerry Purdy, PhD., principal analyst, mobile and wireless, MobileTrax. He points out that, “The largest selling digital camera in the world sits inside a smartphone. We are seeing sales of over one billion units a year. Through technical innovations, you can now take a really good photo with a phone, as well as HD video.”
Dr. Purdy predicts that more content will be generated by users with camera phones than all the cameras and camcorders combined. Following Dr. Purdy’s presentation, Henning will lead a discussion of the future of mobile-imaging hardware and software with panelists from Nokia, Vidyo, NVIDIA, Verizon Wireless, and other leading companies.
Photo Image Capture Summit: 6Sight’s digital photography expert Paul Worthington will lead this summit, which will explore imaging innovations that will change the way we capture images. He notes that “Affordable, quality cameras are so ubiquitous, it’s easy to forget they are exponentially better than the pricey hardware of yesterday. But those improvements and cost reductions bring a new challenge: What will make consumers buy new cameras, and how can the industry continue to grow and profit?”
The keynoter for this summit will be Vincent Laforet, a Los Angeles based commercial director and photographer who is regularly commissioned for advertising, fine art, corporate and editorial projects. Laforet’s work has been published in most major publications around the world.
Social Imaging Summit: Social media pioneer, business guru, and investor Guy Kawasaki will lead the social imaging summit. This topic is of great interest to photo-service providers because social networking has replaced the traditional 4 x 6-inch print as the primary method people use to share their photographs.
Kawasaki is well-known for his best-selling book “The Art of the Start,” which is a must-read for entrepreneurs seeking funding for start-up companies. In his newest book, “Enchantment,” Kawasaki explains why delighting your customers, bosses, and employees is much more effective than trying to manipulate them. He explains how enchantment can change skeptics and cynics into believers and the undecided into loyal customers and followers.
Photo Publishing Summit: Digital printing and marketing expert Barb Pellow of InfoTrends will lead this summit. She says that as the photo market continues to explode, “Consumer-based photo merchandise, including photo books, calendars, and greeting cards will experience double-digit growth. Numerous vertical market and business applications are emerging to support real estate, travel and leisure, events, and special interest groups. The 6Sight Future of Imaging Summit is going to provide a tremendous opportunity for participants to explore new business ideas.”
For more information about the conference, visit www.6sight.com. For a preview of the quality of insights you can expect to get at the 2011 conference, visit the Video Rewind Archives of the 2010 Future of Imaging Conference and watch the 30-minute wrap-up panel discussion that concludes Day 2 of the conference.
The 6Sight Report keeps you posted on the types of technologies that will be discussed at the Future of Imaging Summit.