This week TLMI converter and supplier members are gathering at the Ritz Carlton in Naples, FL, for the TLMI 2012 Annual Meeting. The meeting’s theme of “Shaping our Future: Strategic Leadership, Social Media and Industry Consolidation” has attracted a record number of attendees for four days of networking, education and recreation.

The event kicked off on Sunday night with a tabletop reception. Here, through the APPRiSE Passport system, converters were encouraged and incentivized to visit and network with numerous suppliers. By recording the number of tabletops visited, they improved their chances of winning an iPod Touch, iPod Classic and an iPad.

On Monday morning, following TLMI committee meetings – Environmental, Marketing, Learning, Membership and Technical – TLMI Chairman Art Yerecic officially called the meeting to order and introduced Environmental Committee chairman Calvin Frost, who presented the 2012 Environmental Leadership Awards. The Label Printers took home the converter award while the supplier honor went to Mitsubishi Polyester Films.

Andrew Boynton, dean of Boston College’s Carroll School of Management, and one of the creators of DeepDive, a methodology for helping executives harness the power of teams, was Monday’s featured speaker. He focused on the power of ideas. “Ideas drive economic progress, “ he said, urging leaders to “be more interested than interesting, to diversify, exercise idea muscles and also be agile.”

Boynton presented several thought-provoking case studies that illustrated how ideas and innovations from history can affect businesses and industry today. For an example, he showed how the iPod “clickwheel” was a repurposed idea that was originally seen in a 1983 HP 9000 computer. He also showed how Warren Buffett found ideas by studying a book Ted Williams wrote on hitting a baseball. “Through this book, Buffett found ideas about probability and statistics, and about not taking risks,” Boynton explained.

Following the session, attendees either participated in a golf tournament, a fishing charter, a sunset cruise, or simply relaxed by the beach or pool.

Highlighting Tuesday’s session was Scott Klososky, a former CEO of three successful startup companies. He specializes in examining how technology is changing the world, and discussed trends in emerging technologies. Klososky’s rolicking presentation titled “Social Media, Social Networking and Social Relevance” addressed how to integrate social networking into organization’s strategies.

Klososky emphasized the value of having what he called “high-beam” leadership, where you are looking ahead 5-10 years in regard to the effect technology will have on your business. This is opposed to “low-beam” leadership, characterized by a short-sighted, 12-month view.

Koslosky often used humor along with humorous marketing videos from successful companies to further illustrate his points. He also emphasized the power customers wield in today’s e-marketplace, and the importance of properly managing your online reputation. “Today, customers have an amplified ability to connect,” he said, referring to online communicating via message boards, review sites and social media. He added, “A consumer can reach over 2 billion people at will, and can either damage or build your repuation.”