FTA announced it is opening registration for its annual educational conference for the package printing and converting industry, providing complimentary registration for all educators. Set in The Big Easy, New Orleans, LA, Forum 2019 is chaired by Ann Michaud of 3M Co and co-chaired by Hank Welter of TC Transcontinental Packaging. The event will be hosted at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside May 5-8, while INFOFLEX 2019 will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center May 6-7.

“We are excited about Forum 2019 and its impactful technical content,” said Michaud. “From the newest technologies to practical troubleshooting, Forum will once again be a great place to engage and learn.”

Free for Educators
In the past, educators received one free registration per school. Going forward, all educators affiliated with an educational institution that is a member of FTA will receive complimentary registration for a Full Forum pass. This includes access to all nine educational sessions during Forum, a ticket to Sunday’s Awards Banquet, entrance into INFOFLEX and the Innovation Central, the Monday Evening Social and complimentary lunch on Tuesday.

Sunday, May 5
Objectives for the “All Flexo, All of the Time”-themed educational Forum will include a review of the most relevant standards for today’s packaging workflows as identified by the Brand Owners Council, an examination into enhanced printing techniques, and instructions on how to transition from brown box to multi-color and process work by following a “roadmap” that begins with the end user and ends with the job on press.

Monday, May 6
Presenters will start the day identifying print defects and providing solutions by determining root causes and when they occurred within the workflow. Day two will end with insight into the advancements in technology as found through the research of our future leaders. The opening day of INFOFLEX 2019, themed “Find Your Fit. Expand Your Brand.” will follow shortly after, bridging the gap of flexo, digital and hybrid technologies on the show floor, introducing new technologies through the Innovation Central, and hosting a gallery of the yet-to-be-determined 2019 Excellence in Flexography Awards winners.

Tuesday, May 7
The day begins with a two-hour session where attendees will learn about the fundamentals of post-optimization utilizing FIRST methodology, followed by another two-hour session diving deep into the steps of process improvement by way of characterization. After a complimentary lunch, the second and final day of INFOFLEX will continue the sharing of technology and unlimited networking, ending at 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, May 8
Attendees will close out the four-day technical gathering with two more sessions, one being a demonstration of the latest prepress software by leading developers. The final session will be a glimpse into the judging process of FTA’s Excellence in Flexography Awards competition, dissecting some of the winners from 2018’s competition.

Full Forum early-bird rates, which end March 29, can save attendees up to $350. Registration includes Forum’s nine technical sessions, a seat at the Awards Banquet, entry to walk the show floor at INFOFLEX, and admission to both the Monday Evening Social and complimentary lunch on Tuesday. Attendees seeking entry only to the INFOFLEX Exhibition will have access to the more than 240 exhibits at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on both days, as well as the Monday Evening Social and complimentary lunch on Tuesday. Those interested in registering can visit https://www.flexography.org/conferences-events/annual-forum/forum-registration/.