By David Sweetnam, Head of Research and Lab Services, EMEA, November 7, 2013
Barcelona, the beautiful Catalan city famous for its Gaudi architecture, irrepressible football team and tantalising tapas bars, was host to the 2013 Konica Minolta European Leadership Conference (ELC2013). Held every two years, the ELC is an opportunity for Konica Minolta’s European channel partners to get together and see where Konica Minolta is today, as well as get a glimpse into what the future is likely to deliver in terms of technology and commercial direction—plus, of course, share a glass or two as they discuss success stories with old friends and colleagues. Having been to the last two ELC conferences in Munich and Hamburg, I was yet again impressed by the event from beginning to end, with Konica Minolta presenting a solid strategy for embracing the key challenges that the imaging industry faces. The keynote speeches in the morning session from Konica Minolta Inc. President and CEO Masatoshi Matsuzaki and Ken Osuga, president of Konica Minolta Business Solutions (KMBS) Europe GmbH, set a very positive tone for the conference.