Photo Imaging CONNECT 2025

The Photo Imaging CONNECT conference, held March 16-17, in Las Vegas, Nev., brought together more than 40 industry executives to network, share insights and explore the future of the photo/imaging industry. In a special partnership with WPPI, the Dead Pixels Society held an executive-level conference to bring together various sectors of the photo/imaging industry to discuss trends, opportunities, new technologies, and more in an intimate setting. The event kicked off with a networking event at Flight Club, a social darts venue, and continued with an all-day education program covering industry trends in photo output in the United States and Europe, photo personalization trends, sustainability, the digitization and family heritage market, and much more. 

Event Schedule

Sunday, March 16

The Getting To Know You Social Event – Flight Club

5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Flight Club is a unique, upscale social darts venue, serving great cocktails, exciting games, and more, in an intimate environment. Meet old and new friends at this event; there’s no better way to build a relationship over a casual game.

Directions: Upon arrival at the Flight Club, check in with the reception team and you will be issued a wristband and be shown back the Oche(s). Flight Club is located on the 2nd level of the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Palazzo, directly across from Grimaldi’s and close to Sushi Samba.

Monday, March 17

All activities at the RIO Hotel and Resort conference center

Miranda 7-8

8:00 a.m. -8:45 a.m.

Conference welcome and presentation: How did we get here, and where are we going?

Drawing on more than 30 years of photo/imaging industry background, Gary Pageau will set the stage for the upcoming conference. What lessons can we learn from the successes and the challenges of the past? What trends are impacting the business now and how can we, as an industry, build a strong foundation for success in 2025 and beyond?

8:50 – 9:30 a.m.

US and Western European Photo Markets – Post-Pandemic Revival

The global COVID-19 pandemic changed the dynamics of consumer buying behavior … the photo market is no different. In this session, Futuresource analyst Jeremy Wills shares insights into the firm’s recently completed U.S. photo market research, along with observations for Western Europe.

9:35 a.m. – 10:25

Photo printing monetization opportunities in a fast-changing photo imaging value chain 

How can photo print output providers tap into today’s technology and biz trends that are reshaping every stage of the photo imaging value chain – ranging from capturing, to editing, curation, sharing, and selling photos?

10:30 – 10:40 

PRO: Shaping the future of photo retail

For more than 65 years, the Photographic Research Group (PRO) has served the photo specialty channel. Today, PRO has become the largest cooperative buying, marketing, and distribution company in the photo specialty channel, with 155 member firms and affiliates operating more than 400 stores throughout the United States.

10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

11:00 – 11:10 

Evolution of personalization

Personalization is reinvigorating print. This brief overview describes the potential for consumer creativity and producer productivity at the intersection of art and technology.

 

Speaker: Marie-Eve Lemieux, Mediaclip

11:15 – 12:00 p.m.

Sustainability in Print: Bullshit or Bullish?

Join us for this frank discussion of the realities of sustainability in print. Whether it’s environmental concerns, local and state regulations, consumer demand or employee recruitment and retention, business owners and leaders must address their sustainability programs in 2025.

Speakers: Rick Bellamy, managing partner, Inflecton LLC, and Hans Scheffer, CEO, HelloPrint

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. 

Lunch on your own

1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Positioning the photo category for future success

Like many retail categories, the photo category is facing an uncertain future. The way forward is to position “photo” and “personalization” to not only survive but dominate. No surprise, many consumers are cutting back, but they are indulging in affordable luxuries—especially ones that are meaningful and heartfelt, strengthen relationships, or bring personal happiness—plus photo have the added endorphin rush that personal creativity brings. Photo as a category has the potential to blow up, as people are now celebrating “minorstones,” integrating ethnicities and younger consumers (Gen Z is now engaged), which adds/expands beyond the traditional holiday, birthday, baby, grad, etc. As it relates to DIY, photo has an emotive power no other gift has.

Speaker: Wendi Flores, Foto Crush

2:00 – 2:10 p.m.

IPI: Reinvigorating retail photo imaging services

Independent Photo Imagers (IPI) is North America’s largest buying group for service specialty retailers in the photography and imaging industry. Founded in 1982, IPI comprises over 500 members operating more than 700 storefront locations across the United States, Australia, Canada, and South Africa

Speaker: Ron Mohney, Executive Director, IPI Member Network

2:15 – 2:45 p.m.

The Young Guns of Capture

The photography business may be over a century old, but the future is now. Portrait, school, and sports photographers are facing dynamic shifts in the market. The prime portrait buyers are getting younger and want different products and services. How are the new innovators responding to new generation of customers and beyond?

3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

The family legacy/heritage opportunity

The digitization potential of more than a century of family images and mementos is an amazing opportunity for the industry. From services to digitize images, to preserving family documents, capturing stories for future generations, and on to amazing output products, this session will discuss the entire ecosystem.

Panel moderator: Rob Comeau, Advertek Printing.

Panelists: Mitch Goldstone, ScanMyPhotos; Adam Pratt, Chaos to Memories; Rick Voight, Vivid-Pix; Dave Anderson, DAPhoto/PhotoScanExpress