ANTARES Workshops

Back in January 2004 we developed a brand new concept to introduce the idea and value of MIS to the printing community.

We recognised that watching demonstrations or presentations was not the easiest way of getting a real feel for what MIS systems can do.

We found that in house demonstrations were often interrupted by the pressures of every day work. We also found that simply watching Antares operated by “an expert”, meant that the demonstration often moved too quickly from one point to the next . In this situation, information is difficult to absorb and areas do not get examined in as much detail as a customer might want.

The solution was the hands-on workshop.

We organised facilities at dedicated locations around the country, to offer an uninterrupted, hands-on opportunity for visitors to try out Antares for themselves.

At each workshop, we put together a small network of computers, all set up with a fictional printing company. We provided a guide which gave easy instructions on how to produce quotes, letters, job bags, invoices etc. Most visitors were able to work through Antares unaided and get a real feel for how the programs worked. But experts were on hand for those who needed help and to answer queries.

We visited twelve venues around the UK. The workshops were both popular and a great success in introducing new companies to MIS.

Third UK Tour: Workshops 2005-2006

Our first workshops worked so well that we have organised our third tour to cover even more venues. We recognise that work schedules can be unpredictable and that time is precious, so this time we have chosen venues that are within easy reach of most printers. Many of our workshops are close to major motorway exits and we open from mid-morning until mid evening, so that you can drop in at your convenience.

The map below shows our timetable between September 2005 and June 2006. We hope that at least one location will be convenient for you.

Visitor comments

The following were some of the comments made by visitors to our last workshops.

“We could experiment at our own speed”

“Much easier than we imagined”

“I wouldn’t normally go to this kind of thing but I liked the idea of being able to have a go for myself. It was a really useful experience”

“Because there were three of us from our company, we were able to discuss what we thought about the system between ourselves without being influenced by ‘the hard sell’ ”.

“ Working our way through the guide gave us a lot of food for thought. It prompted lots of questions, which were answered fully and in a way that was easy to understand.”

“I knew I need to do something about the amount of paper I have kicking around in the office. I have looked around before but couldn’t get a grip of it but working the computer for myself gave me confidence to have the trial”