Bohemia, NY – For the 1,600 attendees at Flexographic Technical Association’s 2013 Annual Forum, “Right Here, Right Now” the four-day event scored high marks in terms of agenda, topics, networking, location and venues.

From April 28 to May 1 at the Marriott Marquis & Marina in scenic, downtown San Diego, CA, attendees were treated to eight technical sessions, an Awards Banquet, an alfresco President’s Reception and a wealth of information passed on from a roster of speakers representing the top industry think tanks from across all segments of the flexographic print process.

Positive energy and excitement permeated through the crowded session rooms, as speakers discussed hot topics like food safety, emerging technologies, process controls, automated workflows, print buyer demands, expanded color gamut and how to produce award-winning print jobs.

One conference delegate remarked, “Ultimately, award-winning print is GREAT print. It was nice to walk away with specifics of what to look for when trying to achieve award-winning print.”

Many ranked Forum as “one of the best conference experiences in recent years” as topics were “relevant to today’s market and processes,” and the plentiful networking opportunities allowed time to share experiences and continue the dialogue triggered from the sessions.

Specifically, the kickoff session on food safety, which made its debut on a Forum agenda, drew accolades and high rankings on evaluation forms. One attendee penned, “The presenters sold me on the need to become certified.” Another remarked, “I feel better prepared to begin this initiative in my own plant...well done!”

Likewise, the Emerging Trends, Expanded Gamut and FIRST sessions scored highly on evaluations. Eyes were opened to new technologies. Future business strategies were formulated and in many cases initial implementation actions were set in place. Attendees posed probing questions, followed up with presenters at the culmination of each session, and generally felt engaged and excited to carry the ideas and concepts back to their organizations.

Vic Corenflos, Bemis summed up Forum’s technical sessions, “Very relevant. Very much in line with what printers have been challenged with. Love the new concepts and ideas presented –even those that are not yet fully baked.”

All in all, the four days passed in a flash as optimistic-minded flexographers stood ready to absorb  key takeaways and implement them upon their return to their offices, equipped with a new determination to maintain their craft's position as packaging's print process of choice.

Sponsors of the 2013 Forum & INFO*FLEX include: Eastman Kodak Co.; 3M; Anderson & Vreeland, Inc.; Degraf S.p.A.; DuPont Packaging Graphics; Sun Chemical Corp.; Max Daetwyler Corp.; Pamarco Global Graphics; Xeikon America; ACTEGA WIT; Marathon Solutions Inc.; Polimeros Sinteticos; Siegwerk USA Co.; Sonicor Inc.; Flint Group; Harper Corporation of America; MacDermid Printing Solutions; Flexo Wash LLC; ICE USA; Polymount U.S. LLC; and Perfect Proofer.

Next year’s Forum is slated for April 27-30, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. Chairing the events are Pepper Stokes, Robbie Fantastic Flexibles and Jessica Harkins, Anderson & Vreeland, Inc.