By Jake Slawetsky – Last week, DocuWorld 2024 took center stage in Houston, drawing office equipment resellers and industry professionals from across the Americas. The conference, despite being briefly interrupted by a major weather event, delivered a strong agenda filled with insightful sessions and networking opportunities.
Kickoff and Early Networking
About 250 attendees and partners were on hand when the event began on May 15, with registration and the opening of the Solutions Showcase at the Royal Sonesta in Houston. The showcase featured the latest products and services from DocuWare and its partners and provided a nice start as people arrived.
Deep Dives into DocuWare
The opening keynote kicked off the next morning by Michael Gale, VP of Sales US and Canada, who then introduced the President of DocuWare, Max Ertl who gave an overview on the overall state of the business. DocuWare is used in 140 countries supported by partners in 101 countries. Their revenue was up 17% YoY and they’ve recently acquired an AI company, natif.ai.
Next, Dr. Michael Berger, President DocuWare Group took the stage to discuss his theme, Shaping Tomorrow. He began by reviewing more numbers, like how DocuWare doubled revenues within the last five years and had hit the 100M Euro milestone in 2023. He then reviewed more milestones that led DocuWare to where they are today; a diverse company of over 600 employees in 18 countries from 50 nationalities.
The natif.ai acquisition brings to the table a company of 50 AI experts and over 70 companies using their services (customers). Their technology will be integrated and/or used with everything from DocuWare OCR to extraction to improve accuracy.
US President Jim Roberts came next, discussing examples of industries that are in need of help from companies like DocuWare. In the US, Jim identified auto dealerships as one of many opportunities for software solutions offered by DocuWare. DocuWare gives customers the ability to perform paperless deals, perform easy audits, create customer portals, assist service orders and parts and more.
VP of Marketing Tom Grohl came next, discussing the “self service buyer” before Rene Fischer finished the morning sessions with a product review.
A few awards were given during the lunch break; congrats to Flex Technology Group, Applied Innovation, Copier Fax and others who were recognized! Ricoh, Toshiba and others were awarded in another ceremony on Friday morning.
In the afternoon, attendees spent time in smaller breakout sessions from partners. Ricoh had a session on document scanners, newly acquired natif.ai held a breakout session, there was a reseller panel that included Erick Miller, VP of UBEO and a session on marketing designed to help resellers fine tune their messaging around DocuWare services. Click here to see the full list of breakout sessions.
After a long day of information overload, the conference moved to the dinner location at The Stampede, a Houston nightlife hot spot where conference visitors were able to relax, network and enjoy the epic Houston storm that they’re still talking about today.
The final morning was filled with more breakout sessions and some awards before the event finished and people headed home.
DocuWare continues to push forward. Over the years there have been a few key acquisitions that have advanced their technology into the next level and it seems natif.ai may be another of these moves. Their consistent revenue and growth make them a top choice for office equipment resellers focused on content management, document handling, invoicing, and digitizing paper processes. For those seeking a reliable partner with a solid track record, this company stands out as an excellent option.
SOURCE Industry Analysts Inc.
