Reactions are still rolling in following Ricoh’s Advantage Dealer Partner Summit, held Oct. 28-29 in the cavernous yet opulent Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, the celebrated home of country music. For those who wanted a buzz akin to the lively stretch on Broadway, top execs Carsten Bruhn (president and CEO) and Jim Coriddi (chief dealer officer) were able to bring the packed house of 300 dealer guests and various attendees to its feet, without having to pluck a single banjo.
Offering a brisk program that kept the adrenalin flowing, Ricoh’s hour-long general sessions segued into 45-minute breakout sessions. These bite-sized educational classes covered a wide gamut of subjects, from production to A4 expansion, leveraging AI tools within the DocuWare suite, prospecting and facilitating growth, among others.
We checked in with a few high-profile dealerships to find out what they found most compelling, memorable and beneficial about the presentations and the conference as a whole. Here is what they had to say:
Michelle Shepard, Systel Business Equipment: The Ricoh Dealer Partner Summit in Nashville was one of the best events I’ve attended in my 24 years with the company. The Gaylord Opryland was a beautiful, energizing setting that perfectly matched the momentum of where our industry is headed.
What stood out most was Ricoh’s focus on AI and workflow automation. The sessions made it clear that technology is reshaping how we deliver value, helping customers streamline processes and operate more intelligently. Gartner’s presentation especially highlighted that AI isn’t just another tool; it’s accelerating transformation. Dealers who embrace AI and align their teams around meaningful applications will lead the next wave of growth.
It was inspiring to see Ricoh’s leadership so clearly define the path forward and remind us that success comes from focusing on where the market is going, not where it’s been.
Patrick Flesch, Gordon Flesch Company: The Ricoh Summit was a first-class event and treated all the dealers very well in Nashville. As always, the best part of these events is the opportunity to connect and converse with fellow dealers and Ricoh Leadership. The overall message of collaboration between Ricoh and the dealer channel was encouraging. It is clear that they are committed to making this business successful through the dealer channel.
Product wise it was good to see the ADF scanner feature and there should be some upside for us to position this product in spots where we can differentiate against the competition. Production was also an area where they demonstrated some impressive technology. We should be able to fill some gaps in our production lineup and win, that’s a good thing.
Finally, the software solutions and integrated vertical applications were highlighted and something that our sales team could leverage for sure.
Dawn Abbuhl, Repeat Business Systems: My biggest takeaways were Ricoh‘s strengthened commitment to the dealers with a focus on helping them continue to take market share. The relationship I have with Ricoh is one of the reasons that my organization has had such great success, so it was very important to hear that that remains at the foreground of their initiatives.
In addition, I’m very excited about some of the new products that include specialized features for vertical markets such as health care. Ricoh is really embracing AI to help drive efficiencies in a way that accessible to everyone.
Some of the more fun meetings surrounded how AI can be used for marketing and sales strategies, including virtual role-playing, but also learning about potential customers’ initiatives and challenges.
Preston Woolfolk, DOCUmation: I particularly enjoyed the expo center. The vendor setup made it really easy to network and reconnect with other industry professionals. They did a good job of bringing in the right people for the right audience. Many good conversations were had.
Mark DeNicola, Centriworks: Ricoh has significantly enhanced the structure of the partner summit. Gone are the three-hour marathon sessions that often lost momentum after the first hour. This year’s format featured four focused one-hour keynotes—two per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
The most compelling keynote sessions for me were those detailing expanded field support and resources to help dealers win net-new logos. These resources include price support programs designed to help secure new business. However, Ricoh emphasized that dealers must use OEM supplies and parts to maintain access to these pricing advantages and resources.
A major highlight from the keynote presentations was the presence of Kevin N. Hooper (CSO/CRO) and Dan Gottlieb (B2B rev tech analyst) from Gartner. Their presentations offered valuable insights into:
- Buyer behavior and generational shifts
- Automation trends and AI accelerators
- How these factors can drive revenue growth and transformational impact
The most valuable component of the Summit, in my opinion, was the small-group sessions each afternoon (only eight attended the first afternoon, and three the next afternoon) with Hooper and Gottlieb. These intimate discussions allowed for deeper exploration of their keynote topics and direct Q&A, an opportunity I was glad to take advantage of.
This year’s breakout sessions were exceptional. The ones I found most relevant and actionable included:
- IMC-SD Series Strategy: Replacing the standard document feeder with a Fuji commercial scanner could be a market disruptor if positioned correctly. Practical go-to-market examples were provided.
- Prospect-to-Pipeline Tactics: Real-world strategies and tools for moving prospects through the pipeline were shared and discussed.
- Production & A4 Expansion (Ricoh + Brother Partnership): Detailed information on Ricoh’s partnership with Brother for the A4 line was presented. Having a former Brother DSM moderate the session added valuable perspective.
This year’s Partner Summit delivered more actionable ideas than any I’ve attended in the past 33 years. The combination of strategic insights, practical tools, and intimate discussions made it an outstanding event for dealers looking to grow and adapt in a changing market.
AJ Baggott, RJ Young: I thought Ricoh did a solid job outlining their vision for dealer partnerships going forward—there was good clarity on where they see the most growth opportunity. The new SD model with the Fujitsu scanning capabilities is one of the better ACTUAL innovations on the device in quite a while. The networking was valuable; it’s always good to compare notes with other dealers and hear what’s working (and what’s not). There are still some open questions on execution, actual actionable plans and timelines, but overall it felt like a productive couple of days.
