The primary partner for development and delivery of innovative content for drupa cube 2016 is the international innovation firm The Medici Group and its founder and CEO Frans Johansson. Johansson caused somewhat of a furor with his 2004 book The Medici Effect, and since then has been the go-to expert for the concepts of thinking and acting outside fixed limits and the ‘out-of-the-box principle.’

Worldwide brands such as American Express, IBM, Nike, Volvo and The Walt Disney Company have already been drawing on the strategic expertise of The Medici Group. Now, Drupa is doing the same.

“With The Medici Group, we have precisely the right partner at our side for drupa cube. A consistent approach to change management is absolutely necessary to master the challenges in print, packaging and media sectors,” said Sabine Geldermann, director, Drupa. “I am extremely pleased that we will be presenting a high quality and clearly structured the programme that will appeal both to the print and media industry as well as to web agencies, brands and print buyers, with The Medici Group and other impressive thought leaders at its core.”

Looking at print innovation
New technologies like printed electronics and 3D printing, creative multichannel applications and the use of digital printing techniques in packaging and other sectors continue to illustrate the amazing potential of print. “This potential is the focus of drupa cube, with its international conference and event programme. Through an interdisciplinary approach, it is also designed to bridge the knowledge gap about the relevancy and functionality of print that often exists between printing professionals and their creative agency, marketing, and brand owner clients across a variety of vertical markets,” Geldermann added.

In contrast to the first two cube conferences in 2008 and 2012, the 11-day programme is not organised by target group but rather, based on six key drupa 2016 themes: multichannel, print, functional printing, 3D printing, package production, green printing.

Each presentation slot will combine various themes using best practise case studies: Functional printing and packaging printing, 3D printing and sustainability, and multichannel including print are some of the combinations being explored. This encourages thinking beyond supposedly fixed boundaries. This outside-the-box principle opens up new possibilities for visitors and broadens the horizon for the future of print.

Keynote speaker Frans Johansson, Silas Amos & Shane Wall
In his keynote on 31 May, Johansson will base his talk on the Drupa theme ‘touch the future’ and ‘Intersectional Thinking’. The core question that will be addressed is, “What happens when technological revolutions meet an industry that has been around for a millennium?”

The second keynote on 2 June will build on this and explore key situations where one can forge a route to a future vision. The third keynote speaker on 6 June, Silas Amos ‎(founder of Silas Amos Ltd Design Thought), has worked as a designer and strategic partner for several firms in the FMCG industry, including AB InBev, Bacardi, Diageo, Heinz, Mars and Unilever.

The final keynote will be held on 8 June with Shane Wall, chief technology officer at HP and global head of HP Labs, as the speaker.

There will be a mix of the following five sessions across the eleven days:

Business Evolution: Twelve 30-minute slots are aimed primarily at decision-makers in the printing industry who are focusing on increasing efficiency and profits within their companies. Accordingly, both ‘best practices’ and business models, as well as investment strategies and human resources management will be discussed. Already on the list of speakers are Ronan Zioni, HP; Neil Falconer, Print Future; Ulbe Jelluma, Print Power and Chris Bondy, RIT’s School of Media Sciences.

Technology: Eleven 30-minute slots will focus on technological innovations and their new areas of application. How can these innovations be integrated into existing workflows and what will be the consequences? These and other topics are aimed at decision-makers and management at printing firms, and will also appeal to all other Drupa visitors who have an interest in technology. One special event of note is the three one-hour ‘Gladiator Sessions’ comparing two converging technologies where the pros and cons are discussed with a moderator. The following speakers have already committed to participate, Chris Bondy, RIT’s School of Media Sciences; Joanna Stephenson, DataLase and Lilach Sapir, Massivit 3D printing/

Intersectional: These six sessions, led by The Medici Group, will focus on “Innovation @ the Intersection” and will encompass the six highlight topics of Drupa 2016 (multichannel, print, functional printing, 3D-Printing, packaging production and green printing). In each interactive lecture slot, several of these highlight topics will be combined with one another using specific application examples, such as functional printing and packaging print, 3D printing and sustainability or multichannel and print.

C-Level: The four invitation-only slots in this programme segment are aimed at a fixed, defined subscriber group at management level as well as at exhibitors and visitors. These C-level sessions will directly follow the four keynotes and are formatted as interactive workshops where strategic insider knowledge is conveyed. The keynote speaker whose talk precedes each session will act as the moderator.

Participation in the cube programme is free of charge for Drupa visitors.