FINAT, the European association for the self-adhesive label industry, will conduct its annual congress in Taormina, Sicily, June 8-11. The event will be held in collaboration with GIPEA, the Italian label association. The theme of the program is “Embrace Change, Enjoy Success.”

“With this year’s theme and program we aim to inspire leaders in the self-adhesive label industry to embrace change in order to secure future success,” says Jules Lejeune, managing director of FINAT. “Delegates will learn from experienced international speakers coming from inside and outside our industry to actively participate in the dialogue about change.”

On the first day, Alessandro Garofalo and Leanordo Benuzzi of Idee Associate will challenge participants to uncover their own creative potential during an interactive workshop.

The keynote speaker on day two will be Marcello Lunelli, vice president of the winery Ferrari Spumanti, who will speak on “Innovation by Excellence.” Following is Jules Lejeune, who traditionally brings an annual review of the European labelstock markets. GIPEA President Alfredo Pollici will provide insight into the current status on the Italian label market.

In the afternoon, Jan Erik Baars, design strategy manager for Deutsche Telekom, will explain how to innovate through design thinking. Sahar Hashemi, an inspirational entrepreneur and brand builder of Coffee Republic and Skinny Candy, will share her experience of how to implement an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset.

The annual FINAT label awards will be presented at the congress. “We received 355 award entrees this year,” says Lejeune. “This is an absolute record in the history of the FINAT label award competition and we see this as a confirmation of returned confidence and positivism in our industry.”

On Friday, June 10, John Hickey of Smyth Companies and former chairman of TLMI, will reflect on the 134-year history of a family business without succession planning. How to safeguard the future of family owned label converters is currently a major concern and responsibility of the younger generation.

Following Hickey’s presentation, participants are invited to an industry round table, whose participants include Geoff Martin of CCL Label and Rik Olthof of Cartils Brand Consultancy. Adventurrer Miles Hilton-Barber concludes the day with an inspirational session on how change can affect an individual and his working environment.