FINAT, the international association for the self-adhesive labels and related products introduces the programme of its upcoming congress. The congress will take place in hotel Le Méridien Beach Plaza in Monte Carlo, Monaco from 5 - 7 June 2014 and will carry the theme: 'The Battle for Shelf Appeal - Winning Strategies for the Label Industry.'
"The 2014 edition marks the first step in the gradual transformation of the congress," says Kurt Walker, FINAT President. "We want to create more room for interaction and dialogue on high-level issues relevant to the future of the self-adhesive and adjacent product decoration and identification business.
As THE Forum for the label industry, the FINAT Congress has always served as the vehicle for knowledge exchange, networking and inspiration among current and future label business leaders, suppliers, analysts and observers of the self-adhesive supply chain. Hence, it is a must for all professionals active in this industry and critical to the future success of our business," he concludes.
Congress Theme
The 2014 FINAT Congress theme is "The Battle for Shelf Appeal – Winning Strategies for the Label Industry". As visits of modern supermarkets across Europe will reveal, the battle to catch the eye of the consumer increasingly also translates into a battle for the most attractive yet cost effective product decoration solution. In order for label printers to stay on top of their game, they not only will need to be aware of the trends and developments in their own area of competence, but also what is driving the possible alternatives.
The congress programme will allocate slots to the regular overviews of the hosting and European label markets as well as the annual awards, including the 2014 Congress Logo award, the FINAT Label Awards and the new Recycling Award.
Panel discussions
During the congress, FINAT offers attendees also the opportunity to enter into dialogue with representatives of leading solutions providers from different backgrounds during two panel discussions. The 'The future of applicator technology' will address the underlying features of alternative applicator technologies such as total applied cost, applicator speed, capital investment, sustainability. The second discussion on 'The future of product decoration' will bring together a panel of leading end-users of product decoration and identification solutions across various markets including food and beverage, cosmetics, household products and toys.
Another section of the programme will be dedicated to the evolution of innovative solutions that will extend the role of packaging and labels beyond the shelf as the shopper journey continues his journey as a consumer. One example that will be highlighted is printed electronics.
To conclude the programme, FINAT is proud to present internationally renowned balloonist Bertrand Piccard, one of the descendants of the Swiss dynasty of explorers.
Congress Program
Friday, 6 June 2014
09:00 Welcome by Kurt Walker, FINAT President
09.05 Introduction of the moderator: Marc Büttgenbach, Bizerba (D)
09:15 Keynote speech: "The Battle for Shelf Appeal"
Rik Olthof, Brand Strategist at Cartils (NL)
10:00 Overview of the French label market
Dominique Durant-des Aulnois, UNFEA President (F)
10:30 European Labelstock Statistics 2013, Trends and Outlook 2014
Jules Lejeune, FINAT Managing Director (NL)
11:00 Coffee break and opportunity to visit the tabletop exhibition
11:30 Panel discussion on the various decoration technologies: 'Battle of decoration technologies' (Geert-Jan Kolkhuis Tanke – Avery Dennison; Joseph Mayer – Krones; Raul Matos – Karlville; Raffaelle Paci, Sidel)
13:00 Lunch break and opportunity to visit the tabletop exhibition
14:30 Brand owner panel on "the future of product decoration"
Panellists from the food, beverage, cosmetics and toys sectors
16.00 General Assembly
17.00 Award ceremonies
Label Competition, Congress Logo Competition, Recycling Award
Saturday, 7 June 2014
09.30 Innovation for labelling and packaging profit
Mike Ferrari, Ferrari Innovation Solutions
10.15 Printed electronics components linking the advanced manufacturing supply chain
Alan McClelland, the Centre for Process Innovation (UK)
11.00 Coffee break
11.30 The Sky and Beyond
Keynote closing address by Bertrand Piccard, aeronaut and explorer (CH)
12.30 Closure of the congress
FINAT Congress logo Students' Design Competition 2014
Each year FINAT offers the opportunity to design students from the hosting country (France) to design a suitable logo for use on all congress documents and communications, in order to increase visibility of the event. The winning design for the 2014 congress logo was submitted by Cathy Friscia of the CFA Victor Hugo in Carpentras. Cathy will be presented with her award during the FINAT Awards ceremony in Monaco, on Friday, 6 June.
