The REIMAGINE dealer conference hosted by Kyocera June 1-3 represented the largest dealer-hosted event since the onset of the pandemic, with approximately 850 attendees representing 225 partner organizations at the JW Marriott San Antonio. Many dealers echoed a common sentiment that it was good to get out of the office and see many familiar faces that have been relegated to emails and video conferencing meet-ups.
While other OEMs have hosted road shows and hybrid virtual/attendee events, the Texas conference was a most welcome networking event of such grand magnitude. Kyocera pulled out all the stops to make it a memorable one, from Magic Johnson’s inspiring keynote address delivered mainly within the audience to a fun evening of barbecue and a Lone Star-level rodeo at the local Knibbe Ranch.
ENX Magazine had the good fortune to bump into a number of dealer executives on hand who were gracious enough to share their views on the overall experience in San Antonio. One was Jim Oricchio, founder and CEO of Coordinated Business Systems in Burnsville, Minnesota, who had an amusing up-close exchange with Johnson during the keynote.
Oricchio was elated to hit the road; personal scheduling conflicts didn’t allow him to attend a BTA event, so the only venture he’d made outside of Copier Dealers Association meetings was a trip to Arizona in January for the Executive Connection Summit. “There’s a lot of good information to be had in the industry; you can’t just sit on your hands and watch the world go by,” he said.
The CEO was impressed by Kyocera’s e-commerce push, and he commended the manufacturer for its concerted foray into inkjet technology, which he felt was a long time coming. “More importantly, Kyocera is committed to the independent dealer,” Oricchio said. “It’s important today to make sure that they have our back.”
Oricchio was particularly surprised by Johnson’s presentation. “Magic was dynamite. He delivered a great message to the dealers,” he said.
Chip Crunk, president and CEO of Nashville, Tennessee-based RJ Young, felt the main takeaway was Kyocera’s realization that the business and the industry are changing, and that they’re willing to change with it. He noted that Kyocera is going upstream with its products.
“They also realize a lot of their dealers do not have the capacity to handle some of the production products, and that’s a reason they’re having to work on some of those things,” Crunk said. “To me, the important thing is that leadership and the organization understand that. It’s not waiting for the problem to happen.”
The aspect that impressed Joe Blatchford, CEO of Image 2000 in Valencia, California, was Kyocera’s willingness to address the biggest factors impacting OEMs and their dealers. “They’re not sidestepping or skirting anything, they’re discussing the subjects of shortages and supply chain issues,” he said. “I thought Kyocera did a great job overall.”
Being a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers, Blatchford was excited about the opportunity to meet Johnson and have his picture taken with the NBA legend. He was also impressed with Johnson’s message to the dealers. More than anything, Blatchford saw REIMAGINE as a step toward normalcy. “I hope this is a good sign of things to come,” he said. “This feels so normal to me, and I have to say that I like it.”
