SPEAKERS & SCHEDULE
Schedule
Temporary schedule.
- 08:30 – 09:00 Coffee/Registration/networking
- 09:00 – 10:50 Speakers
- 10:50 – 11:15 Coffee break/Networking
- 11:15 – 12:15 Speakers
- 12:15 – 13:15 Lunch/Networking
- 13:15 – 14:45 Speakers
- 14:45 – 15:10 Coffee break/Networking
- 15:10 – 16:30 Speakers
- 16:30 – 17:30 Happy Hour/Networking
- 19:00 – 22:00 Networking dinner at Fruh am Dom*
*for registered attendees
Speakers
All our fantastic and inspirational speakers have invested their time, travelling far and for their own expense. Why? because they care!
More speakers to be announced at a later date.
Carmel Jane [UK]
Carmel Jane Photography LTD - Owner
One of our most exiting speakers are Carmel Jane who has been a professional photographer for over 20 years.
After shooting 500 weddings, she wanted to grow a scalable, volume business and began shooting Dance Recitals. Three years ago she moved into the schools market. Now, along with her team, shoots over 300 dance recitals and over 120 schools every year.
Carmel has won many prices and awards for her work. Among other, she became the Most Inspirational Business Woman in 2019.
Jason Butcher [AUS]
Arthur Reed Photos – CEO
With more than 15 years industry experience and the CEO of one of Australia’s oldest school photographic companies, Jason will share his experience with Arthur Reed Photos (ARP) recent transformation into a new business model.
After identifying an opportunity to introduce a new ordering platform into the Australian market, Jason will discuss how the company challenged itself to change their own mindset to provide themselves with a unique point of difference. The company also focused on reviewing employee skills, processes and previously unexplored options to create improved workflow and revenue.
Atle Andersen [SE]
Viron Group - CEO
Atle Andersen is the CEO of Viron Group, owning and operating the school photo brands Kungsfoto and Photomic. Together these two brands cover approximately 40% of the swedish school photo market.
Atle is also a board-member of the Swedish School Photographer Association, SER, where he has worked extensively with GDPR.
Atle will share his experience with GDPR and how this new legislation has affected the Swedish market. He will also share how the industry has united to meet this challenge.
Marc Heinze [DE]
Thiele Foto-Laborbetriebe - Managing Director
Marc has been Managing Director of Thiele Foto-Laborbetriebe GmbH since 1997. The company, operating under the brand Thiele – Die Schulfotoprofis (The School Photo Professionals) has been a leading print service provider for school photographers for more than 30 years, serving customers all over Europe.
With the latest printing and data processing technology, Thiele – Die Schulfotoprofis offers a full range of products for school, kindergarten and sports photographers.
Before joining Thiele, Marc studied at the Universities of Madrid, Spain, as well as Munich and Cologne, Germany, and holds a diploma in Economics and Business Administration .
From 1991 to 1997, he worked at the accounting and auditing firm, Grass & Partners. Marc is a member of the Board of the German Association of Wholesale Laboratories.
Martyn Headley [UK]
John Hunt Photography - Owner and Director
Martyn started as an order processor back in 2004. Since then he has been directly involved and hands on in all areas of his school photography business, with the result of getting a unique insight into the industry and its challenges.
In his time at John Hunt Photography, he has brought the printing inhouse and made significant changes to their operations. Innovation and efficiency has always been at the forefront of his mind when developing new products and processes. John Hunt Photography have now a fantastic team of 13 photographers servicing over 400 schools in the UK.
“I have seen lots of challenges facing the industry over the years, but none more than now. I look forward to helping the industry unite, so we can work together to address these issues, as I love my work and I want this rewarding industry to survive”.
Bob Winkler [CA]
ProfotoFX Services / PlicBooks Software
Magnus Eikli [NO]
Photographer, Photo Coach & GM
Magnus got his first pictures published at the age of 15, and since 2007 he has been deeply involved in the volume photo industry.
As a school photographer and photo coach, and most recently as general manager, for one of Norway’s leading school photo companies, he has been involved in upsurge, downturns and major changes in the market.
How these challenges are addressed is essential for the industry’s progress, and is crucial for both customers and companies, according to Magnus.
Andy Brown [UK]
Stanley Baker Studios - General Manager
Beth Jones [USA]
BJK Photos - President & Owner
Beth Jones, President and owner of BJK Photos, has been working in the high-volume photography industry for 20 years, although she isn’t a photographer!
For 17 years Beth was the National Sales & Marketing Manager for Vantine Imaging, a composite photography company photographing fraternity and sorority members on college campuses all across the United States. Beth was responsible for market and product development, managed the sales, marketing and photography teams, and also focused on customer acquisition and retention
strategies.
In 2009 Beth created the company called Best Eye Photography for the owner of
Vantine Imaging. Best Eye focused on school photography in the local market. Beth and her colleague Janet King had the good fortune and wonderful opportunity to purchase Best Eye from David Vantine, owner of Vantine Imaging in the Spring of 2017. Thus the birth of BJK Photos, a combination of their names Beth Jones and Janet King.
Currently BJK Photos is a strong regional school and sports photography company operating in Central New York State.
TW Woodward [US]
Capturelife, Host of Hanging Pixels
Tech challenge: The modern mobile consumer, the professional photographer and the gig economy.
The modern professional photographer is facing a crisis. The technological disruption in the photo industry was not the digital camera. Rapid technological advancements in network speed, smartphone cameras and in-app photo experiences have made the modern mobile consumer a moving target. Traditional photography and traditional photography products are missing the mark. Many photographers view mobile disruption as a threat, while others see it as an opportunity. Join TW Woodward as he presents the challenges photographers face in the modern mobile world and the solutions that are popping up around the globe.
TW Woodward has been working in the volume photography industry for 20 years. He has designed and led a full print production lab, a high-volume youth sports photography company and now works for Capturelife, a mobile technology solutions provider for professional photography companies. TW is also the host of The Hanging Pixels podcast, which is focused on the business of modern digital photography. You can listen to Hanging Pixels on any podcasting client, like iTunes, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn or by asking Alexa, Google or Siri to play the Hanging Pixels Podcast.
Stephan Bulawa [DE]
School Portraits (Thailand) - CMO
Since the past seven years Stephan Bulawa is a Marketer for School Portraits (Thailand) Co., Ltd. But everything started in Germany.
He joined School Photography in 1999 as a career changer while studying biochemistry / biotechnology. In 2001, he began to sell yearbooks together with school photography products in a package in his own company and made it possible for hundreds of schools to present themselves at a favorable price.
He is currently working on marketing solutions for schools as well as sustainable products and digital products. Digital products such as e-Yearbooks, Yearbooks with AR-elements and the use of facial recognition as pedestrian gates for school access control as well as the use of facial recognition to help sorting the school image database by different permission.