The Hague, The Netherlands – The international label association FINAT is a front-line supporter of the new online Label Academy. This major industry initiative is in the process of creating a genuine educational resource for the label printing industry, at a time when formal college-based education possibilities are diminishing. The Label Academy will be a major feature of FINAT's 2016 European Label Forum in Amsterdam, June 16-18 – at a practical level.

Business leaders put to the test

Delegates at the annual summit for business leaders in the label industry value chain will participate in the 'Label Masters Challenge'. This team-based test is organised by label industry guru Mike Fairley, founder-editor of Labels & Labeling magazine - now part of Tarsus Group plc, for which he is consultant director of strategic development. Based on the currently-available modules of the Label Academy, Mike Fairley, assisted by his 'side kick' and quizmaster, FINAT Programme Committee Chairman Niklas Olsson, will require teams to test their skills in four rounds of 20 questions - all of which will be designed to challenge players' knowledge of the technicalities of their industry. The winning team, of course, will be declared Label Masters.

Post drupa review

May and June are extremely busy in terms of events around the world, and the biggest print show of them all, drupa, closes its doors less than a week before the European Label Forum. Helpfully, the FINAT Label Forum agenda makes it possible for those delegates who did not attend drupa to be aware of the technology advances in their industry that were showcased in Düsseldorf. Herbert Knott, freelance correspondent for the German national label association VskE, has been specially commissioned by FINAT to walk the many halls, and report back to European Label Forum participants on relevant developments.

Lively, business-focussed event

All in all, the FINAT European Label Forum promises to be a lively, informative, and business-focused event for a key sector in today's packaging industry, combining a strong formal agenda with a supplier tabletop exhibition and excellent networking across the complex label industry value chain. The full programme can be downloaded at http://www.europeanlabelforum.com/programme.