First keynote speaker and speakers announced; numerous partners will be presenting at the OPS; focus on mass customisation in combination with AI as key to true customer centricity
The wait is over with the first keynote speaker and speakers for the Online Print Symposium 2025 having been announced. On 3 and 4 April, 2025, the OPS will kick off its 12th round at Munich’s Science Congress Center, once again attracting the who’s who of the international online print community with its keynotes, presentations, exciting start-ups, and numerous partners.
The event will focus on the mega trends of 2025: mass customisation in combination with artificial intelligence (AI) as the key to true customer centricity. To remain at the forefront of the print industry in the future, harnessing the transformative power of AI in order to respond to customer needs in a more intuitive, agile, and cross-media way will become a necessity. Numerous renowned speakers will be addressing what is needed for this on the OPS stage, fulfilling its promise to the industry as an important source of inspiration.
Stellar Lineup of Speakers
The organisers – print and media consultants zipcon consulting GmbH along with the German printing and media consulting association Verband Druck und Medien Beratung (VDM Beratung) – are particularly thrilled to be able to secure visionary Christoph Gamper, CEO and Co-Owner of Durst Group AG, as a keynote speaker for the OPS. Since joining the Brixen-headquartered machine manufacturer in 2013, Gamper has driven Durst’s transformation from a traditional mechanical engineering company to a fully integrated solution provider that covers the entire value chain of digital production with software, hardware, and services.
His focus at the OPS will be on revolutionising the industry. Mass customisation and inkjet are expected to set the pace for the market in the future, but without the right team, no implementation is possible. In his keynote titled ‘Technology is nothing without people – Europe’s opportunity in digital printing’, Gamper will share his experiences, thoughts, and principles. In his presentation, he will shed light on how digital printing not only follows trends through personalisation, precision, and sustainability, but also shapes them. He will also explain as to why this is the right time for Europe to lead rather than wait.
This year’s lineup also includes a perspective from the UK market. Simon Cooper, CEO at Onlineprinters and Solopress, is a true force in the international online print industry. On the OPS stage, he will talk about how automation and cultural transformation led Solopress to be named ‘Print Company of the Year 2024’ and how innovations are implemented at Onlineprinters.
In the context of customer centricity, social commerce has become indispensable. As an entrepreneur, content creator, and storyteller, Florian Hommeyer will share on the OPS stage his ruthlessly honest experiences of building several profitable online businesses. As an expert in authentic digital business with over 1,10,000 followers, he wants to inspire the OPS audience to use social media as a tool for business success.
As an independent consultant, Leon Mehlau knows his way around the world of no-code automation and AI solutions. The Swiss, who operates under the name Levanty, will speak about why the success of a company depends on the degree of automated processes, especially in the field of mass customisation.
Hoodie Hoo Co-Founder Johannes Kautz will once again be on stage at the Science Congress Center. Having had to overcome many hurdles in his company’s rapid success story, Kautz will reveal exactly what ‘successes, hurdles, and growth’ are in his presentation.
The annual industry update by zipcon consulting CEO Bernd Zipper will also deal with hurdles, challenges, and opportunities. The pioneer and online print expert will not only bring facts and figures to the table, but will also analyse exciting trends in his usual entertaining manner and provide an outlook for the new year in online print.
Co-organiser VDM Beratung’s Managing Director Jens Meyer will provide a further outlook: “The Online Print Symposium 2025 is characterised by radical changes: AI is resetting the rules of the game and opening up completely new possibilities for product innovations and the way we address customers. We are proud to once again have real trailblazers as speakers – progressive thinkers who are already showing how automation, smart data strategies, and individualised customer journeys are redefining the industry. If you don’t change your mindset now, you will miss the chance to be at the forefront!”
Insight Pitches: Where Fresh Entrepreneurial Spirit Meets Experience
The OPS doesn’t just offer a stage for the established big players. The coveted Insight Pitches, in which start-ups present their business models, will once again be a special highlight this year. Industry newcomers will get a chance to present their business ideas to the most important decision-makers in the industry in a 10-minute pitch – a platform where fresh entrepreneurial spirit meets many years of experience, opening ways for exciting collaborations and synergies.
Partner Lineup: Industry’s Who’s Who
In addition to all the speakers and start-ups, Online Print Symposium has been supported by committed partners for many years. Sappi Deutschland GmbH is the platinum partner, while Initiative Online Print e.V. is the advisory partner. Also on board this year are Canon Europe Ltd., ctrl-s GmbH, Gelato AS, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Deutschland GmbH, The New Crispy Mountain GmbH, Nobelus Europe Ltd, Printess GmbH & Co. KG, Probo, rissc solutions GmbH, and Tessitura GmbH.
