FTA to Break New Ground at Forum 2014

Forum logoReady for Something Different?

Oct. 10, 2013—Shake things up. Do things never done before. Advance beyond previous achievements. Flexographic Technical Association’s (FTA) 2014 Annual Forum, themed “Breaking New Ground,” promises to do just that over the course of four days, April 27-30, in Baltimore, MD.

The largest annual gathering of the package printing and converting marketplace is determined to deliver compelling educational content, business-building networking and the “aha” moments that have built this annual conference from an intimate gathering of 300 flexographers in 1959, to an event of global proportions that today—54 years later—continually attracts some 1,700 of the industry’s trendsetters and their protégés.

Critical Market Intelligence

Forum 2014 will truly be a revolutionary experience. On the roster: fresh, cutting-edge sessions that will impart new theories, new research and new practices to an audience hungry to learn how to improve their process, productivity and the all-important bottom line.

  • Printers will share the means by which they incorporate OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) to manage their pressrooms more effectively
  • Print buyers will offer their unique perspectives and experiences with regard to expanded gamut printing
  • Researchers will extend the dialogue into new and emerging markets that will be of critical importance to stakeholders looking to position their business for future growth

One exciting, interactive session, dubbed “Flexo Mythbusters,” will tackle and debunk the fallacies and fables associated with flexographic printing.

Three concurrent sessions (Tag & Label, Flexible Packaging and Corrugated) will be incorporated into the program to address specific concerns, challenges and opportunities facing those market segments. Finally, those new to the industry will extract value from detailed discussions on the fundamentals in the Flexography 101 and 102 sessions.

Program development is being led by Forum Chairs Pepper Stokes, Robbie Fantastic Flexibles and Jessica Harkins, Anderson & Vreeland, Inc. Abstract review, speaker selection and session format determination is underway. The ultimate objective: build a top-notch, ground-breaking agenda for launch in April 2014.

New Logo & Locale

What’s more, in a radical departure from tradition, the annual event boasts a new emblem that now serves as the official Forum logo for 2014 and beyond. The insignia will aid in building a consistent and recognizable brand for the Association’s largest educational and networking conference of the year.

Finally, in its entire 54-year history, an FTA Forum has never taken place in Baltimore, MD. The city’s picturesque, downtown Inner Harbor District is a prime business and cultural area close to the famous Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M&T Stadium. This convenient and easily accessible locale makes it an attractive and affordable destination for flexography’s main event.

Coinciding with Forum 2014 is its sister event, the INFO*FLEX Exhibition, “A Gold Mine of Solutions.” Taking place April 28 & 29 at the Baltimore Convention Center, attendees can anticipate a bustling convention hall occupied by more than 210 of the industry’s top suppliers and their solutions, providing for two days of intensive networking activity and side-by-side comparisons of the latest technology.

For more information about FTA’s 2014 Annual Forum or its INFO*FLEX Exhibition contact Sharon Cox, FTA director of marketing at 631-737-6020 ext. 46.

About FTA/FFTA: Flexographic Technical Association (FTA), chartered in 1958, is a professional society dedicated to bringing all members of the flexographic printing community—printers, suppliers, consumer product companies, institutions, prepress houses and others–together by providing opportunities for the free exchange of technical ideas and discussion of mutual concerns. It is a proponent of maintaining and advancing quality standards and includes 1,300 member sites that represent more than 50,000 individuals. Foundation of FTA, founded in 1974, is the educational arm of FTA and is dedicated to supporting and advancing the flexographic printing industry.