INFOFLEX
FLEXO: INFOFLEX 2022 is a momentous event, as the exhibition celebrates its 40th anniversary. What does INFOFLEX provide to the package printing industry that has made it a mainstay for the last four decades?
Bart: Nothing sticks around for 40 years if it doesn’t work. The networking, face-to-face connections, and ability to seek out new solutions to your problems are the reasons INFOFLEX continues to stick around. Without a doubt, it is always worth your while to attend.
FLEXO: October’s INFOFLEX at Fall Conference had a sold-out show floor packed with attendees and exhibitors. How did it feel to be able to network and connect without a Zoom call or webinar?
Laura: So good! Connecting in person is a lot easier than on a screen. I have to admit that it was intimidating at first. I had met a lot of people over the course of the past year and a half through online meetings, where I could only see their face and shoulders. I was worried about recognizing them with a mask on. FTA was well-prepared for the in-person return, by having attendees identify their comfort level using a color-coded label system as well as keeping the conference portion of the event as hands-free as possible. It took only minutes to get back into the swing of things and remember how much I enjoy seeing everyone.
FLEXO: INFOFLEX 2022 is the first full-sized exhibition for the entire package printing industry in three years, and the first of 2022. What else makes it a can’t miss opportunity?
Laura: All the vendors under one roof, showing you all their new services and products. It is the very best opportunity to view and review new ideas, technology and time-saving solutions that printers can take back and implement. The ROI on a printer’s time at INFOFLEX is huge! So much can be learned; it has been missed the last several years.
FLEXO: As always, Innovation Central gives technical experts a stage for short, technology-focused presentations—and it’s free for all attendees. How does Innovation Central enhance the exhibition experience?
Bart: Innovation Central is the ability to focus in and learn about a certain technology or subject. You maximize your valuable time and you can’t beat free!
FLEXO: With pent-up demand for printers to see new packaging technologies and solutions, and eager solutions experts ready to talk one-on-one, some say it looks like INFOFLEX 2022 is coming together as the most important exhibition of the year. Do you agree? Why?
Laura: For many of us, this will be the first time that we have had a chance to meet face-to-face in a couple of years. There is going to be a lot of pent-up social energy released here and increasing costs will motivate many to actively look for methods of automation and more efficient use of consumables. All of us have been working diligently in our home offices, labs and caves, coming up with brilliant new ways of being better and more efficient and it’s all going to be released on the show floor this year. It will at least be double what you usually get from INFOFLEX, but with the added rejoicing over not having to attend via Zoom, the impact of this event should be awesome.
Complementary Events
FLEXO: FORUM registration includes admission to several other industry events. For one, the Awards Banquet, where FTA’s biggest honors and awards are announced. What’s a moment from a previous Awards Banquet that sticks out in your memory, and what’s so special about it?
Bart: The Awards Banquet is always a special time to see the winners from the Excellence in Flexography Awards. Hearing printers’ names announced, watching them walk up on stage to receive their award—that never gets old.
FLEXO: The Monday Evening Social—another free-to-attend event—is a relaxed continuation of the networking at INFOFLEX, with hors d’oeuvres and live entertainment. Why is the Social the perfect atmosphere to reconnect with colleagues?
Laura: This event is in many ways one of the highlights of the conference. A fun atmosphere and a few drinks ease the stress of travel and being “on,” and this is where the relationships with other techies you began to forge during FORUM’s sessions or on the floor of INFOFLEX grow into life-long friendships. The people you talk with here are the ones you’ll call when you get back to your office or to the pressroom and find a stack of issues to address.
FLEXO: And the Emerging Leaders Golf Outing is another chance to reconnect with colleagues, while supporting the next generation of flexographers. Why should golfers plan to attend this event to kick off FORUM & INFOFLEX?
Laura: The current labor shortage has really driven home the need to support and mentor a younger generation of flexographers. We should all be doing everything we can to attract and retain new talent in our industry. Here is one fun way to help out.
Bart: Playing golf in Texas after a long winter, what could be better?