Canon Launches ‘Business Leap’ Competition

Canon last month announced the launch of its ‘Business Leap’ competition, which is inviting UK printers, businesses and entrepreneurs to submit a business plan involving digital printing for a chance at winning an imageRUNNER Advance 9070 Pro light production digital press and other prizes from a total haul worth over £90,000.

The recent, third Canon Insight Report, ‘Redefinition of the Digital Printer’ which examined the fate of various printing service providers in light of the recent economic downturn, highlighted that many could not have survived the testing economic climate without digital printing capabilities. So, in response, Canon has launched the ‘Business Leap’ competition both to engage printers to consider new ways to develop their businesses (or start new ones) and to provide guidance in the creation of comprehensive business plans.

Competing businesses/entrepreneurs will be expected to produce a full and formal business plan for an enterprise which somehow involves digital printing. The plans will be scrutinised and reduced to a shortlist of finalists, who will then each be interviewed by a panel of independent of business consultants to select a winner and two runners-up.

As already highlighted, the lucky recipient of first prize will walk away (!) with an imageRUNNER Advance C9070 Pro which they will be able to retain for three years along with a tailor-made business consultancy package. Second prize is a 44 inch Canon imagePROGRAF large format solution, which again the winner will be able to retain for three years, also along with a bespoke business consultancy package. The third prize winner will receive a bespoke business consultancy offer from a leading industry expert.

Trevor Dodsworth, Head of Product Marketing at Canon Business Solutions (UK) explains the background of the competition

It’s clear that to secure their long-term economic future in the current economic climate, printers need to think of their businesses in a new way and take a more entrepreneurial approach towards customers and customer needs. The industry has shifted in the last few years and we are encouraging our customers to adapt to this change – to make a leap into the future of print.

Those wishing to enter the Canon Business Leap Competition must register at the Canon Ipex 2010 microsite at www.canon-europe.com/ipex where they can download the entry form, to be submitted with any supporting documentation. The competition runs from 31 March 2010 to the end of July 2010 and the winners will be presented with their prizes at an awards ceremony in Paris in October 2010.