Spring Has Sprung

The spring and fall seasons get real busy with association meetings, conferences, and trade shows. Two shows in April will provide attendees a really good blend of technical conference sessions and hands-on displays of the latest products and technologies.

ICE USA 2013 comes back to Orlando, Florida April 9-11 after its North American debut in 2011. Focusing on converting technologies, this year’s show is shaping up to be 30 percent larger than the 2011 event, and will feature more than 100 first-time exhibitors that will join nearly 200 returning exhibitors.

In addition to the wealth of technology and products on the show floor, ICE USA 2013 will also feature a comprehensive educational program. The Association of International Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators (AIMCAL) will again be sponsoring the ICE USA Conference, which will host more than two-dozen sessions offered in three parallel categories—Web Coating, Web Handling, and Adhesives/Adhesion. These sessions will be featured all three days of the show. In addition, AIMCAL’s CEMA Division will hold a one-day version of its popular Coating & Drying Fundamentals for Converters and Slitting & Rewinding Fundamentals for Converters courses on April 8, 2013, the day before the show opens.

At the end of April, flexography takes center stage when the Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) celebrates its 55th anniversary at its annual FTA Forum and INFO*FLEX exhibition. With a theme of “Right Here. Right Now.”, this year’s technical conference and exhibition will take place in San Diego, California from April 28 to May 1. Similar to ICE USA, the Forum/INFO*FLEX features strong technical presentations, with the opportunity to see the products and technologies “up front and personal.”

Shows such as these provide a rich opportunity for printers and converters to stay abreast of the latest products and technologies that can improve productivity and competitiveness. The days are long past when companies sent “busloads” of people to attend these events, but the smart companies are still sending enough people who can bring back the ideas that can provide the payback companies so desperately need in such competitive times.