Forum 2015 Bests Records, Hits Perfect Harmony With Topics, Trends and Technologies

Heralded as the best Forum ever, Flexographic Technical Association’s (FTA) 2015 annual conference drew historic crowds at the four-day event, May 3 to 6 at the Omni Nashville in Nashville, TN. Attendance records were shattered as nearly 2,000 conference-goers, made up of printer/converters, print buyers, designers, brand management firms, prepress providers, suppliers and students/educators, filled every seat of the ballroom and jammed the aisles at the co-located INFO*FLEX Exhibition.

• Educational and technical content was at its finest
• Networking was continuous and constant
• Subject matter inspired dialogue and discussion
• Challenges were presented; solutions were identified

Ten sessions spanned consumer forecasts, printed electronics, process control, color theory, and print consistency. Buyer preferences, brand protection strategies and new packaging trends were explored in “Upside Down, Inside Out;” while exactly how rival printing processes like digital and gravure can complement flexography and lead to synergies and improved efficiency in “Multi-Market Commonalities.” A humorous look at “young” and “old” employees transformed into an examination of multigenerational workforce training and personality types in “From Tribal Knowledge to Technology” and seasoned flexographers posed as translators to help demystify complex standards and explain their usefulness during the popular “De-Geek the Geeks” session.

A four-part Toolbox Tuesday session brought back the basics, delivering proven insights into process control, KISS impressions, color control and manufacturing’s best practices. Pressrooms had their health evaluated, as “Gauging Your Flexo Vital Signs” examined essential do’s and don’ts, and offered a roundtable discussion from five FTA Hall of Fame members.

At the Annual Banquet & Awards Program, held in conjunction with Forum, honors were bestowed before an audience of 800. By the night’s end:

• 106 award winners of the 2015 Excellence in Flexography Awards Competition were unveiled
• Advance Packaging Corp. took home the FTA Sustainability Excellence Award
• Jennye Scott and Richard Black were recognized with President’s Awards
• Paul Lancelle was the 53rd inductee into the industry’s most elite group of flexographers—FTA’s Hall of Fame
• Nuova GIDUE was named the winner of the 2015 Technical Innovation Award
• The FFTA/Rossini North American Flexographic Scholarship was awarded to two deserving students, Jason Cagle, Clemson University (first place) and Bilge Altay, Western Michigan University (second place)

Next year’s Forum is slated for March 6 to 9, 2016 in Fort Worth, TX. Chairing the events are Jennye Scott, Berry Plastics Corp., and Paul Teachout, Nilpeter.

Source: Flexographic Technical Association.