Aurora, IL – Lori Campbell, Chief of Operations for The Label Printers, co-chaired with Kathy Alaimo of Syracuse Label and Karen Moreland of Rotometrics, the September biennial Technical Conference of TLMI [Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute] in Chicago.  This year’s Conference set a new record with 384 people in attendance.

From TLMI’s web site about the Conference: “Every other year the association holds the TLMI Technical Conference in Chicago where members and non-members come together to hear technical presentations and panel discussions on industry topics such as new production technologies, industry trends and environmental best practices.”  Campbell expands on that by saying that the Technical Conference’s most important deliverable is practical takeaways that can be implemented by converters in their operations. 

The co-chairs’ goal was to make the conference something that would help people run their businesses more successfully.  She said, “The conference is intended to provide information that the individual wants to hear about based on multiple feedback mechanisms.”  Association converter and supplier member volunteers then collaborate to develop the content, locating and working with expert presenters to create cohesive topic sessions. 

“We’re looking forward to this year’s survey results, which will help kick off development for the next conference – continuing to find educational opportunities relevant to the industry,” Campbell said.

The conference is one and a half days of educational content and a tabletop exhibition of suppliers to the converting industry.  Content splits into two tracks – “Technical” information and “Business” information – that allow attendees to focus on areas specific to their occupational focus.

Based on feedback and prior experience, the 2015 event included two new additions - a keynote speaker to kick off the conference, and an interactive session, “The Deeper Dive” to close out the conference.  Said Campbell, “We were looking for something that would give attendees a forum to talk with their peers about the content they just heard, ideas that they have or need for implementation, asking questions of presenters and one another – all while everything is still fresh and top of mind.  Basically – we wanted them to share with one another. We had a great turnout and ideas for improving on the format for future conferences.”

The conference’s Keynote Speaker was Terry Jones [http://www.tbjones.com/] who addressed the conference theme of “Breaking Boundaries”.  TLMI’s Agenda described Jones’ speech on “Innovation” as “drawing from his experiences as the founder of Travelocity.com, founding Chairman of Kayak.com and Chairman of Wayblazer, Jones helps audiences turn innovation from an academic exercise into an everyday skill.” He spoke to the issues of “disruptive technologies” and the “speed of change” in our world.  He also broke that down into specifics such as “how do we utilize technology”, “how do we stay relevant”, “how do we serve our customers” – all in the context of our high speed world.

Said Campbell, “We wanted someone who could provide the context under which the conference was developed; make it clear to the audience what drove the content.  We also wanted someone who could give them a fresh look at the world today, encourage them to look at new audiences – because they are becoming our customers.  And we couldn’t have asked for a person better equipped to make this speech – everybody absolutely RAVED about him.”

Campbell said, “This conference is really the culmination of efforts by the entire association.  The TLMI staff organizes the conference and venue logistics without a hitch.  They do an incredible job.  Moreover, while volunteers who serve on TLMI’s Technical Committee develop the content, the Learning and Marketing Committees support the conference with activities and materials.