Print Summit 2023: aims to address issues - The Noel D'Cunha Sunday Column
Apart from the knowledge being shared, the Print Summit camaraderie is truly wonderful, says Narendra Paruchuri. Ramesh Kejriwal was impressed by Marico’s Harsh Mariwala Print Summit 2016 talk, during which Mariwala took the 1,000--delegates down the Parachute and Saffola memory lane. Kejriwal, Paruchuri, and Faheem Agbaatwala share their experiences, and why you should attend PS23. A Sunday Column special. Read on...
22 Jan 2023 | By Noel D'Cunha
Last month, PrintWeek/WhatPackaging? published a poll. We asked: Other than equipment and new technology, where should a print and packaging firm invest its profits?
The results were:
- Product creation + innovation: 51%
- Supply chain + procurement: 21%
- Marketing + branding: 12%
- Customer retention: 16%
This is what Print Summit will be focussing on. The Indian print and packaging industry's ability to decipher the noise and shape its own future.
Every year (with the exception of 2021 and 2022), the doors at the Tata Theatre in NCPA are wide open for BMPA’s Print Summit. There's fellowship plus clamour for knowledge from the day-long sessions which have been curated by the BMPA team for eight months.
Why attend?
Ramesh Kejriwal, chairman of Parksons Packaging who has been a regular at Print Summits, says, “I enjoy meeting industry colleagues. More importantly, the quality of speakers and the insights they share, have always been helpful.”
Ramesh Kejriwal
Narendra Paruchuri, chairman of Pragati Group says, he does not have a count of the number of Print Summits he has attended, but it's "quite a lot". He says, “Apart from the knowledge being shared, the camaraderie exhibited and shared is truly wonderful." Paruchuri’s favourite experience or moment at the Print Summit has been Sonam Wangchuk’s keynote address. “Besides Wangchuk, there are many industry A-Listers who impressed me. The selection of the speakers has been very good and there is an overall 'feel good factor' is taken home.”
Deep Shah of Arihant Enterprise concurs with Paruchuri. “Sonam Wangchuk, a social entrepreneur who is doing so much for the upliftment and betterment in a part of the world which is one of the most remote and deserted places on the planet. It was very inspiring to see the real-life version of “Rancho” in action.”
Shah states that the insights at the Print Summit are not print-oriented. Sometimes there are few personal take-aways. “Understanding what you did is one thing, but what the sessions do is – make you think to understand why you do it — both the rationale and what you expected to get from it. That is an important takeaway. And when running a print business, there are many things to do, print-related and outside of it.”
Print Summit 2023 (PS23) on 16 February has lined up many speakers – Indraneel Chitale, Kedar Lele, PC Mushthafa, and Dr Gnanvatsal Swami among others.
As Deep Shah says, He is keen to hear Indraneel Chitale. “I’ve had the privilege to meet him virtually at BMPA's StB Forum and it was truly incredible to see a family business having a world-class mindset and vision plan. He is definitely going to be a star speaker at PS23.”
Today, strategy is the key.
Last quarter, PrintWeek/WhatPackaging? published a poll. We asked: When you think of your strategy, what is most important for you?
- The customer: 37%
- Customer's problems: 46%
- Market solutions: 15%
- Your solution: 2%
Some of the sessions during Print Summit will be the perfect recipe for the hundreds of printers and converters who voted in the above poll.
Five learnings
Faheem Agboatwala, the chairperson of PS23, shares his five learning from the making of Print Summit.
Faheem Agboatwala
Teamwork
I have rarely seen such a diverse (in terms of age, temperament, and business size) group of people work so hard together. They say if the team works together, mountains can be moved. I am proud of the team which brings the PS magic on stage. For eight months my colleagues have been working tirelessly, never once throwing a tantrum to my regular tantrums.
Humility
During the last decade, my team and I have met several business leaders and massively successful people. There has been one major commonality between all of them, their openness and willingness to share. I believe successful people are those who can make less successful people comfortable and at home with their sincerity and warmth. Be it Ajay Piramal, Harsh Mariwala or Lt Gen Ata Hasnain, our pre-conference interaction with the speakers has been memorable and heart-warming.
Consistency
We have often been asked how we are going to better the next edition. This is an eternal dilemma for my team. So, the way we do it is to be consistent in our thought processes. If we get a refusal from a particular speaker we want, we chase him or her, year after year until they finally relent (for example, we took years to get Sonam Wangchuk/PS17 and Sister Shivani/ PS19 )
Think Big
Our pre-event planning sessions (for an outsider, it is more like watching a WWE match) last for hours and we never shy away from asking for the moon. We have been trying to invite Amitabh Bachchan for several years. We are confident of having him deliver our keynote sessions one day.
No shortcuts to success
The above line is literally the greatest learning from Print Summit. The BMPA team has been hosting successful conferences for several years. We continue to believe the next Print Summit is the first one. Our passion is the same as it has been from day one. Leave nothing to chance, rehearse everything, keep a plan-B ready, delegate and make people responsible for key elements are some of the things we do every single year.
A veteran leader while sharing his wisdom for creating a continuous improvement culture that is built to last, said, there are two keys – small, continuous progressive steps and structured analytics.
PS 23 on 16 February 2023, hopes to do that. Be there.
Narendra Paruchuri, chairman, Pragati Group, Hyderabad
How many Print Summits have you attended? I do not have a count, but many.
Would you recommend print industry colleagues to attend an entire day conference such as PS? Yes.
Were you able to apply the insights you gained from the knowledge sessions to your business workflow? The data goes into the server and is used at appropriate times.
Will you be attending Print Summit 23 on 16 February (Thursday)? Yes.
There's continued disruption—including upheaval from the pandemic—that needs a new approach to economic activities and business priorities. What actions has your company taken to stay on top of your business? First of all, be sound financially. Do your business well - quote well, print well, service well.
Are you optimistic about 2023? What's the reason behind that optimism? Yes, I am. The Make in India scheme, the PLI initiative by the government. Besides India is a big market, there is 6%-7% growth. I think, there is nothing to complain about.
Jehangir Surti, Prodon Enterprise, Mumbai
How many Print Summits have you attended till now? Seven.
Would you recommend print industry colleagues to attend an entire day conference such as PS? For sure. It is a day when one gains knowledge. Also one meets a lot of friends and industry colleagues.
What was your favourite experience or moment at Print Summit? Have had many lovely experiences. Very difficult to pinpoint a favourite experience.
One speaker at the past Print Summits, who impressed you and why? Iqbal Kherodwala and Amit Shah. Both are very clear in their thinking and articulation.
What do you most enjoy at PS? Meeting industry colleagues.
Were you able to apply the insights you gained from the knowledge sessions to your business workflow? Cannot identify a particular knowledge session. They have been helpful. One applies when there is a need and wherever applicable.
Will you be attending Print Summit 23 on 16 February (Thursday)? Yes, for sure.
Samir Parikh, Vandana Graphics, Mumbai
How many Print Summits have you attended till now? Seven to eight times.
Would you recommend print industry colleagues to attend an entire day conference such as PS? Yes, definitely.
What was your favourite experience or moment at Print Summit? Life educational session, a good learning curve.
One speaker at the past Print Summits, who impressed you and why? Havmor’s Ankit Chona, who sold his ice-cream business to South Korea’s Lotte Confectionery. A truly inspiring story of selling their family-managed business to an MNC so their brand can grow faster which would have taken a lifetime for them to do.
What do you most enjoy at PS? Meeting industry peers, and the food.
Deep Shah, creative director, Arihant Enterprise, Vasai
How many Print Summits have you attended till now? Three.
Would you recommend print industry colleagues to attend an entire day conference such as PS? Yes, absolutely.
What was your favourite experience or moment at Print Summit? My favourite moment has to be the mind-bending, energetic morning session with Gaur Gopal Das who delivered such a wonderful message to cherish life and live in the present moment. Something I’ll never forget.
What do you most enjoy at PS? The plethora of opportunities to connect and network with printers and suppliers is the best PS giveaway.
Will you be attending Print Summit 23 on 16 February (Thursday)? Yes. Wouldn’t miss it for a thing.
How is work now? Back to pre-Covid levels? Work is back to pre-Covid-19 levels. More importantly, there are many new opportunities. I would say, brands that survived the storm of Covid-19, proved their mettle. We are glad to be working with brands that could withstand tough times.
There's continued disruption—including upheaval from the pandemic—that needs a new approach to economic activities and business priorities. What actions has your company taken to stay on top of your business? The pandemic has taught us to be more conscious about our financial planning and made us realise that our business model to always keep our suppliers as a top priority in life has always been a gift. We never faced any sort of pandemic crisis in terms of raw material shortages thanks to our strong relationship with all our suppliers who we consider as “Gods” in my business.
Also, another major shift was the realisation of being more system-oriented than more people-oriented in our business. We are working round-the-clock to make this a more system-driven organisation.
Are you optimistic about 2023? What's the reason behind that optimism? We are absolutely thrilled about 2023. After winning the PrintWeek Awards this year, the goal is to work harder and be ready for bigger challenges and opportunities. We are working on a host of new verticals and business expansion this year and we are committed to being more sustainable and competitive in 2023.
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