2026 Wide-Format Summit Launches in Bonita Springs, Florida
At 4pm sharp on Monday, Denise Gustavson, vice president, editorial at PRINTING United Alliance, and Dan Marx, content director for Wide-format Impressions, welcomed a group of more than 180 participants — hosted attendees, vendors, and industry experts — to the 2026 Wide-Format Summit in Bonita Springs, Florida.
They informed attendees how the annual event is different from traditional conferences, and explained how creating outstanding event requires participation and engagement on a high level. “You are all here for a reason,” Marx said, specifically addressing the event’s hosted attendees, who were carefully qualified to be included.
The Quest for Productivity
The day’s session began with Marco Boer, president of I.T. Strategies, and perennial keynoter for the event, which is now in it’s seventh year. Boer addressed current changes in the wide-format segment and the quest among wide-format producers for greater productivity.
Marco Boer provides the Summit's keynote presentation.
Boer described how today’s economy, which includes the headwinds of tariffs, geopolitical uncertainty, and inflation, has changed customer behavior. This, he says, leads to unpredictable ordering, including smaller and more frequent orders; rising costs; the need for automation and efficiency; and the need for partnership and strong advice. He said both consolidation and margins are both “squeezing” the segment. But that’s not necessarily bad news. It is instead a call to action. “Margins are still great but they’re getting squeezed as the segment consolidates.” Among the suggestions he offered for remaining competitive is taking advantage of the latest developments in equipment, both of which can lower costs and increase productivity.
OEMs Share Future Path
Following Boer, Gustavson convened a panel of wide-format equipment OEMs that included Matt Loede, head of sales, North America at Agfa; Rodney Mucenski, sales vice president, LFS field sales management at Canon; Ted Pierpoint, national sales manager at Durst, and Dean Haertel, executive vice president of sales at SEI Laser by Matik.
From left to right: Gustavson, Mucenski, Leode, Heartel, Pierpoint.
The panel discussed the importance of automation in label and textile printing, emphasizing KPIs like labor savings, revenue per employee, and throughput. For instance:
- Pierpoint highlighted labor savings through faster printers
- Loede focused on revenue per employee and touchpoints
- Mucenski stressed customer satisfaction and reducing human touch.
- Heartel from SEI Laser by Matik underscored the importance of automation in finishing to eliminate bottlenecks.
Further, the discussion covered AI's role in predictive analytics and decision-making, and future technology developments. Each panelist emphasized their unique competitive advantages, such as proprietary technologies and comprehensive portfolios.
New to Maintain the Old
Amy Servi-Bonner, vice-president of PRINTING AI ( under PRINTING United Alliance) discussed the limitations can provide. Despite the hyperbole surrounding the quickly emerging technology, Servi-Bonner maintained that an upcoming (or ongoing) retirement wave among legacy employees means organization knowledge is in danger of escaping into an unreachable past.
She demonstrated an AI agent that works to maintain organizational knowledge. In so doing, she says using a so-called AI employee can answer generic questions, can serve as a document repository, can be a training video library, and a tool built on your data. “Institutional knowledge is owned, preserved, and employed internally,” she shared. The presentation provided an approach that melds knowledge of the past with tools of the future.
A Cool One on a Hot One
Reception, dinner, and sunshine to spare.
Day One ended with a reception and dinner, held in the heat and humidity that typifies summer in Florida. New connections and reconnections were made, attendees and vendors shared their experiences, and all anticipated the coming days, amid the evening’s boisterous buzz.
Stay tuned to Wide-format Impressions for daily updates from the Wide-Format Summit.
To be considered for next year's event, apply to attend at wideformatsummit.com.
Dan Marx, Content Director for Wide-Format Impressions, holds extensive knowledge of the graphic communications industry, resulting from his more than three decades working closely with business owners, equipment and materials developers, and thought leaders.
