FINAT, the worldwide association for the self-adhesive labels and related products, has announced the program details of its congress, including the lineup of confirmed speakers.  On the occasion of its 55th birthday, FINAT is joining forces with the German national label association VskE to host the European label industry’s annual leadership congress. The congress will take place in the Westin Grand Hotel in Munich, Germany, from June 12-15. FINAT will also reveal in Munich the winner of the congress logo contest of this year’s edition.

The FINAT/VskE congress provides not only the perfect place for delegates to meet and network with peers, but also offers the opportunity to collect input for the development and implementation of future business strategies. Both members and non-members are welcome to attend and become inspired.

The organizing committee responsible for the preparation of this year’s conference program has chosen “Label Your Future” as the theme for the event. “After all, ‘labeling our future’ is a matter of actively controlling our own destiny by making the right choices, taking into account the relevant forces and mega-trends,” says Kurt Walker, president of FINAT.

“From this year’s program, participants will gain a multidimensional perspective of the future from authoritative speakers in the areas of social science, economy, ecology, sustainability, label printing technology, business trends, management and entrepreneurship,”  Walker says.

To kick off the program, one of Germany’s leading future thinkers Horst Opaschowski will present his insights into the lifestyles and
guiding principles of modern society in the 21st Century.

Werner Dornscheidt, fighting global food loss with his initiative “Save Food,” will speak about the industry’s responsibilities in developing and securing solutions and strategies for sustainable food management.

Richard Pott will address the biodiversity crisis, since habitat loss and climate change are causing the “sixth era of mass extinction.” Following up on the outcome of the global L9 label associations’ summit in Tokyo last year, Don Nolan of Avery Dennison and Jussi Vanhanen of UPM Raflatac will share their views on the label industry’s business agenda for a sustainable future. Helmut Schreiner will talk about the continuity of a family-owned company through successful generation change. On behalf of VskE and FINAT, Robert Mägerlein and Jules Lejeune will present updates on the respective label markets. And in this Labelexpo Europe year, Mike Fairley will lead a panel of printing equipment experts who will assess the future of printing technology in the labeling sector. Closing keynote speaker Marc de Vos will present a challenging and inspirational perspective of the future once the global crises and mega-trends that the world is facing at the moment are in the past.