FP Mailing NDS 2026 Recap from Hilton Head

FP Mailing’s National Dealer Summit in Hilton Head was the kind of event that leaves you feeling optimistic on the flight home, mostly because the conversations were real and the direction felt clear. This post will include a lot of photos, because the best part of NDS is always the people, and FP created a setting where dealers actually had time to connect instead of sprinting from session to session.

It meant a lot to have Friedrich Conzen, CEO of FP Holding AG, travel from Germany to speak directly to the dealer community. There’s something different about hearing the message from the top in the same room, especially when it comes with specifics and a genuine thank-you.

Friedrich shared that FP is debt free, and he addressed tariffs head-on with the kind of calm you only get when the business has planned well. He also made a point of thanking the U.S. market for its loyalty, and it landed as sincere rather than scripted.

Mike Hannon spoke to what 2025 brought, and he did it without trying to paint over the hard parts. The message wasn’t doom-and-gloom, though. It was about maintaining momentum and keeping focus as the road into 2026 opens up.

That balance matters for dealers, because nobody needs fluff right now. They need direction, and they need partners who acknowledge what’s been difficult while still showing a path forward.

Paul Buckley spent time on the opportunity in front of dealers, and he got specific about how FP is focused on helping partners capture it. One of the strongest points was the market reality: FP has relatively small share in a big category, which leaves a lot of room to grow if the dealer channel executes well.

Pitney Bowes came up as a familiar “giant” reference point, and the takeaway was simple. There is business to win, and there are customers who will move when dealers bring better service, better ideas, and better solutions.

FP also introduced new equipment, and one particular inserter caught my attention right away. I wasn’t allowed to film it yet, so I’ll leave it at this: it’s the kind of product that makes dealers start mentally mapping out their customer list.

There was also strong interest around lockers and other value-added offerings that help dealers diversify. That’s a recurring theme across the channel right now. Traditional revenue is crowded. Adjacent revenue wins when it’s packaged well and supported by the vendor.

At GoWest.ai, we’re helping FP with AI service tools, and the aim is to make AI outcomes easier for dealers to deliver in a way that is consistent and scalable. I had the opportunity to do a main stage presentation, and I also ran two breakouts where we walked through how dealers can perform their own AI Readiness Assessments.

I also shared BizVantage.ai, and the response was immediate because it solves a real pain point. It can turn what used to be a four-day assessment build-down into a process that takes roughly seven to ten minutes, which changes the economics of selling and delivering assessments in the real world.

The stage content was excellent, but the best moments were still the dealer conversations in hallways, at tables, and between sessions. FP did a great job hosting because the schedule left room for networking without making it feel forced, and that’s where a lot of the real learning happens.

You could see it in the way people lingered after sessions and kept talking. That’s usually the sign that an event did what it was supposed to do.

I also felt blessed to be there with Lesley Stratford, my business partner and the love of my life, and it made the whole trip even better. We stayed an extra day after the conference to enjoy the beach and the Hilton Head pace, which was the perfect way to exhale after a full summit.

Sunrise and a little GoWest flair!

Some downtime by the fire.

All you can eat crab? Why not!