The leaders at the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) set out in 2023 to reinvent the organization’s fall conference to include more networking opportunities and educational sessions while accommodating its expanding membership base.
Those efforts culminate September 17–19, 2024, at the Omni Charlotte Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the FPA 2024 FlexForward® Fall Conference.
“We’re thrilled to announce exciting changes to this year’s FlexForward® Fall Conference,” says Dani Diehlman, FPA’s vice president of communications. “New this year, we will feature an off-site welcome reception and tabletop exhibits during conference networking events.”
The enhancements will provide new opportunities for FPA members to showcase their organization’s products and services, she says, adding that the goal is for FPA to “continue improving our meeting experiences.”
The conference will offer several presentations that will include:
- Esteban Sagel of Chemical and Polymer Market Consultants (ChemPMC) will provide an update on the polypropylene and polyethylene markets.
- Lauren Aguilar and Andrew Hackman, both of Serlin Haley LLP, will give updates on advocacy at the state level. Earlier this summer, Minnesota became the fifth state to adopt an extended producer responsibility (EPR) law. Serlin Haley is a lobbying firm for FPA based in Washington, D.C.
- Clint Smith of Euromonitor International will provide an update on the global packaging market.
- Raymond “Ray” Mastroleo, advanced recycling market development manager at ExxonMobil Product Solutions, and Meredith Burtman, Americas advanced recycling market manager at ExxonMobil, will discuss advanced recycling.
- Treijon Johnson, director of sustainability at Accredo Packaging Inc., and Perry Malik, international sales manager for Fresh-Lock by Presto Products, will give a presentation on recyclable packaging with safety features.
- Ross Bergman, director of recycled material standard at GreenBlue, and Tim White, chief strategy officer at Five Star Holding LLC, will talk about circularity powered by chain of custody certification.
- Industry Intelligence Inc. officials will discuss sustainability and stakeholders. The presenters will be Rami Ghandour, CEO/founder; Chelsey Quick, vice president of business solutions; and Jason Irving, senior vice president of enterprise solutions.
- Medhi Pakravan, vice president and chief technology officer at Polykar, will talk about novel eco-friendly pouch solutions for sustainable food and pharmaceutical packaging applications.
The results of FPA’s updated study on food waste will be announced.
Reimagining the Meeting
The plan to reimagine the fall meeting was part of an effort to include consumer brands and others in the supply chain for flexible packaging. In contrast, the spring Annual Meeting is centered on core FPA members and top leaders. The fall meeting now has more opportunities for others in organizations to network and gain new knowledge, according to an article in the September/October 2023 issue of FlexPack VOICE® titled “Reimagining FPA: Working Groups Revamp Fall Conference and Expand Memberships.”
“We are trying to position the fall meeting to meet the needs of the folks that are doing the day-to-day technological, sustainability, and policy work in the rest of the company,” Alison Keane, FPA’s then-president and CEO, said at the time.
The revamped conference also highlights FPA’s initiative to expand its core membership to include brands, distributors, brokers, supply chain companies, financial services firms, and others who have an interest in the flexible packaging industry.
More information about FPA and the conference can be found on FPA’s website.
Thomas A. Barstow is senior editor of FlexPack VOICE®.