FLAG (Flexo Label Advantage Group) is looking to build on its record Annual Meeting in 2023, where more than 125 members gathered to learn and network in Salt Lake City, UT, USA. In 2024, the members and vendor partners will journey to Buffalo, NY, for Annual Members Meeting XII.

Niagara Label will serve as the member host company from June 11-13, showcasing how its culture has driven success for more than 38 years.

The event, which features peer groups, roundtable discussions, keynote presentations, and networking, is often referred to as “the one event industry members don’t want to miss.” FLAG group members have an average size of $2 to $40M and experience the benefits usually enjoyed by larger converters.

FLAG has come a long way since it was established in 2009 by John McKay. Today, John’s son, JC, helms the booming group. “He started this group recognizing that there was a new way to help small to mid-sized converters and suppliers in the narrow web marketplace,” explains JC McKay, president, FLAG. “It was unlike anything anyone had ever seen or done in the industry before.

“Working side-by-side with my Dad for over eight years now is something I’ll cherish forever,” says JC. “He’s my number one mentor, the person that’s helped guide my developmental journey in this industry. Having the opportunity to take over as FLAG president at the beginning of 2023 was a real honor, and not for the title. I’m grateful to be entrusted with carrying the vision of FLAG forward for years to come and to continue building this group on its foundation.”

Starting with 10 founding members, FLAG has grown and supported over 150 label companies and more than 25 industry vendors. The commitment to innovation and support is deeply rooted into the DNA of FLAG, as it has been since its beginnings in 2009.

“Now, we’re providing our members with a platform to connect, share work, and support one another where they’re seeing almost immediate responses within the network,” says JC. “Beyond that, we’ve built a meeting that both members and vendor partners say they won’t miss because it’s one of the most valuable uses of their time every year. We’ve seen double digit membership growth every year, with the exception of the Covid pandemic in 2020, with our largest growth year being over 20 new members. I think many converters in the industry are starting to realize that having resources similar to large national converters will help them grow and achieve their goals faster as part of our community, rather than continuing to face those challenges alone.”

The Annual Members Meeting has emerged as a prominent industry event, with countless converters and suppliers touting the benefits to their business. The Annual Meeting is designed to deliver members and vendor partners the highest level of value in the shortest amount of time for minimal costs. This successful framework has fostered significant growth for the FLAG community.

“Attending members know that they’ll be connecting with other similar sized companies, who are either currently facing or have solved some of the same issues that they have,” remarks JC. “There’s real value here, especially knowing that the motivation of everyone attending is to help one another grow their business, not necessarily be a prospect for someone that’s sitting across the table. This creates an extremely open environment for sharing, collaborating, and building their businesses together.

“We want people to leave the FLAG Annual Members Meeting excited, more knowledgeable, empowered, and filled with ways to solve problems and grow their businesses,” he adds. “We’ve been told by industry veterans that they’ve been to countless events over 30-40 years in the industry and the environment and value they see from the FLAG Annual Meeting is unlike anything they’ve ever experienced before. It’s also because of the commitment our members and vendor partners have to one another, to the overall success of the group.”

The 2024 Annual Meeting has an expansive program planned. In addition to Member Peer Groups and roundtable discussions, keynote speaker David Avrin will deliver future-proof strategies in his keynote “Ridiculously Easy to Do Business With.” Greg Hrinya, editor of L&NW Magazine, will also provide a look into the current state of the label industry.

Plus, JC and LPC, Inc.’s Jackie Kuehlmann will provide a deep dive into social media marketing and how to leverage the use of it to grow your business.

FLAG will host its annual awards dinner, as well, where it will recognize members and vendor partners – including newly earned $1M saver awards for this year.

“No FLAG Meeting would be complete without the FLAG Member Tour Host,” notes JC. “We’re so excited that Niagara Label will be our tour host for this event. They’ll give an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at their facility, which is something you can only experience at the FLAG Meeting.”

Niagara Label has seen strong growth in recent years, making the Buffalo-based converter an ideal candidate to host the tour.

“We met Chris, Keith and the Niagara Label team at Labelexpo in 2016 and hit it off right away,” says JC. “Over the last eight years, they have truly maximized the advantages FLAG offers its members. They’ve attended every meeting since joining, participate in FLAG Peer Groups, regularly engage with FLAG vendor partners, and support other members in the group. I think their engagement within our community speaks to the way that they run their business and why they continue to see success. In my experience with every member of the Niagara Label team over the years, it’s evident that they care about their people, their customers, and converting really awesome labels. They aren’t afraid of change, in fact seem to regularly embrace it, which is why they joined FLAG and have been so successful in our group.”

In addition to the Annual Meeting, members enjoy numerous other benefits. The group provides resources like rebate savings, sales growth opportunities, catastrophic planning, and access to the most extensive small to mid-size converter network.

“At the same time, they know they can continue to run their business the way they want, which allows them to be extremely customer focused, and make quick changes necessary to satisfy market demands,” says JC. “At FLAG, our focus remains on helping our members and vendor partners become stronger companies. We know that in business, it’s easy to chase new things – what some call ‘shiny object syndrome.’ But these new ventures often distract from the real work of serving customers. We believe in sticking to the basics, much like practicing a free throw or perfecting the throwing and catching of a baseball. It’s not glamorous, and some might even call it boring, but it’s what makes a difference.  Our mission hasn’t shifted since 2009. We’re all about doubling down on how we serve our members and vendor partners. We’re committed to our core Win/Win/Win vision.”