Roland DGA, an Irvine, California-based manufacturer of sign-making equipment, plays host recently to its first-ever imagiNATION inkjet conference in Las Vegas in conjunction with another industry trade show event.

“For us it was our first-ever user conference,” says Marc Malkin, Roland’s public relations representative. “We wanted to do something for our users and give them an opportunity to get educated on our products.”

For the 152 attendees, Oct. 21 started with a keynote speech by former Nascar race car driver and now team owner Richard Childress. Virginia-based Richard Childress Racing has at least 10 Roland wide-format inkjet printers that it uses to produce the wraps for their race cars, Malkin says.

Following the keynote breakfast the day was filled with breakout sessions that attendees could choose from in four different tracks: productivity and business management, new applications, software and design and color management.

The goal was to provide a mixture of technically precise information along with more general knowledge business owners could use to become more successful, Malkin says, adding that he wasn’t aware of anyone who took classes during the day from just one of the four tracks.

“They all had their varying interests and they were able to choose the workshops that suited their interests,” Malkin says, adding that the day ended with a reception where attendees, sponsors and Roland employees got to mingle.

Roland DGA president Rick Scrimger say he saw the event as a success on many levels.

“In addition to serving as an incredible learning opportunity for Roland owners, it was the perfect forum to bring such a creative group together -- as part of what we call the 'Roland Nation' — to inspire and drive their business,” Scrimger says. “Attendees were able to gain valuable information from industry experts, network with like-minded professionals, and interact with Roland executives and product managers—all in a single day. And to top it all off, it was a lot of fun for everyone involved, myself included."

Malkin says that judging by attendees’ feedback at the end of the day, there’s no doubt another imagiNATION conference will be held, although he’s not sure the company will make it an annual event.