FLAG (Flexo Label Advantage Group) will bring its Annual Members Meeting to the Twin Cities this fall and introduce a new concept in the spring: a Peer Group Summit.

Recognizing the need for continuing education and networking for independent converters, FLAG has announced the location, speakers and plant tour for its 2020 Annual Meeting. The meeting, which now draws over 100 members and vendors, will take place at the Hyatt Regency Bloomington/Minneapolis, located close to the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN, USA, from October 27 – 29, 2020.

By popular request, this year’s meeting will feature a full day of small peer group breakouts. To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of this meeting, the Awards Dinner will take place at the top of the US Bank Stadium – home to the Minnesota Vikings. Additional highlights of the Annual Meeting include a tour of a member’s facility, exhibits from FLAG vendors and keynote presentations on mission critical topics for the independent converter. This year, the group will tour Lofton Labels and learn how the company has grown its business over the past few years without increasing manpower.

Keynote speakers will be announced in the coming months.

Peer group meetings, and the opportunity to openly network with converters of a similar size facing similar challenges, have become so popular with FLAG members that two new peer groups have been formed and a special “Peer Group Summit” has been scheduled for May 12-14, 2020 in downtown Asheville, NC. In addition to a full day of peer group interactions, members will tour the North Carolina facility of UPM Raflatac. 

According to John McKay, president and founder of FLAG, “Our membership continues to grow, and with it we are able to produce increasingly professional and rewarding meetings. The 2020 Annual Meeting will be outstanding – with expanded networking opportunities, latest technology from our vendor partners and an awards dinner that is certain to be a big draw. And we’re very pleased to add the Peer Group Summit to our calendar of activities which support the needs of our growing member base.”

According to FLAG Member Sharon Zampogna, VP, McCourt Label, “If I were told my budget only permitted attending one event a year, the FLAG Annual Members Meeting would be it.”

FLAG Members – with an average size of $2 to $20M – realize the type of benefits usually enjoyed by larger multi-site converting conglomerates. These include bottom-line savings, catastrophic recovery plans, penetrating new markets and application niches, and having access to new resources. In addition to the Annual Meeting, these benefits are delivered through a 24/7 online resource site, quarterly calls, “Lunch and Learns” and FLAG Peer Groups.