IMDPA Annual Conference 2023 approaches
From 26-28 September 2023, the International Metal Decorating & Packaging Association’s Annual Conference will once again be held at the Eaglewood Resort & Spa in Itasca, IL, USA, with a full agenda for the two and a half days.
The IMDPA’s ongoing strategic planning team defined a mission for the Association to “Provide a platform to share knowledge and expertise for continuous personal and professional growth.” Based on the agenda formulated for 2023, the IMDPA believes that they have once again succeeded in their mission.
Scholarship golf outing
On 26 September, the IMDPA will present its Scholarship Golf Outing and Banquet, which is popular for networking with industry friends, both old and new. The proceeds from the outing support the IMDPA’s ongoing Scholarship Program, where it awards scholarships to the children and grandchildren of the IMDPA members. This year’s recipients have been selected and will be announced at the conference during the awards luncheon.
The main event
The 27 and 28 September will include general sessions and breakout sessions, which feature presentations of interest to metal decorating and metal packaging personnel alike.
The conference agenda is all-encompassing, including presentations on equipment and technology for metal decorating and packaging; best practices; colour management; digital printing; branding initiatives; manufacturing topics; technical troubleshooting and materials sourcing. The IMDPA also continues to focus on the need for greater sustainability efforts in the industry and the drive for bio-renewables.
Wednesday 27 September’s general session will include a keynote presentation from Gus Reall, CEO of industry leader, Stolle Machinery Company.
A presentation from beverage leader Monster Energy’s Allison Erfort, marketing general manager, will share the company’s vision on energy drinks and other emerging product development driven by market intelligence. A broad view sustainability discussion will be presented by Colleen Webster, sustainability director for Henry Crown/CC Industries, parent of metal packaging corporations. Artificial intelligence is one of the leading technological developments of our time. How it will affect our daily business lives will be addressed by author, Alex Castrounis, CEO and founder of The Why of AI and professor at Northwestern’s Kellog School of Business.The presentations were selected from topics obtained as a result of members communicating their requests for seminar presentations in the surveys taken during last year’s conference.
Following the morning general session will be the awards luncheon. The IMDPA Scholarship recipients will be announced, the IMDPA Member of the Year will be recognised, Decorators of the Year will take to the stage, and the newly announced Metal Packager of the Year Award will recognise those in manufacturing who contribute to the success of their organisation.
Celebrating the IMDPA’s 27th year of recognising the best decorating and packaging entries, the Excellence in Quality Awards will be presented. This showcase is special in that it is a peer-to-peer contest orchestrated by decorating and manufacturing members for industry companies with no outside influence when judging. According to the IMDPA, the showcase entries are the best of the best and the Association is proud to honour the participating companies and team members.
The afternoon includes breakout sessions which feature presentations on two-piece, flat sheet decorating and manufacturing. Quality assurance; plant efficiency; troubleshooting equipment; new printing technology; colour management systems; UV curing; sourcing substrates and the all-important sustainability topics will be addressed.
Thursday 28 September includes a morning general session which includes a presentation from Clemson University on its leading packaging school initiatives; a roundtable session on steel led by Reynolds Services and Steelforce Packaging; revelations on curing technology by the paramount Association for Curing, Radtech International; a presentation on materials sustainability by Henkel; and a discussion on bio-renewables from INX International Ink Co.
How to attend
Log onto www.metaldecorators.org and visit the Events section where you will find the golf outing registration, conference registration, the conference programme and hotel reservation.
You can also email [email protected] to receive assistance with registering.
The IMDPA hopes to see you there!