FINAT/GIPEA Congress 2011 Programme now available..

Finat, the world wide association for self-adhesive label industry, discloses the detailed programme of its Congress 2011. The congress, organized in collaboration with GIPEA, the Italian label association is being held in Taormina, Sicily (Italy) from 8-11 June. At the congress there will be a handover of the presidency by the current president Andrea Vimercati. "In today's fast moving global business environment, rapid change has become a fact of life," says Mr. Vimercati. "The ability to change one business model is driven by creativity and a structured approach to innovation. With this year's theme and programme 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 FINAT.

Delegates will learn from experienced international speakers coming from in- and outside our industry, to actively participate in the dialogue about change. Programme Finat Congress 2011 :  'Embrace Change, Enjoy Success' On the first day (June 8th), Alessandro Garofalo and Leanordo Benuzzi, Idee Associate (I), will challenge participants to uncover their own creative potential during an interactive workshop.

Congress moderator on duty is Paul De Ruijter, De Ruijter Strategie (NL). Keynote speaker on day two (June 9th) is Marcello Lunelli, Vice President of the winery Ferrari Spumanti (I) on 'Innovation by Excellence'. Following is Jules Lejeune, who traditionally brings an annual review of the European label stock markets.  Alfredo Pollici, GIPEA President (I), representing the hosting label association, provides insight in the current status on the Italian label market. In the afternoon, Jan Erik Baars, Design Strategy Manager, Deutsche Telekom, explains how to innovate through design thinking. And Sahar Hashemi, one of the UK's most inspirational female entrepreneurs and brand builder of Coffee Republic and Skinny Candy, shares her experience on how to implement an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset in corporations.

Record Number Award Entrees "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 the evening of day two there is the much appreciated award ceremony, celebrating the winners of the Finat 2011 Label Awards and Congress Logo Design competition. As always, the Finat 2011 label award winners go through to the finals of the World Label Awards.

On the Friday, June 10th, and closing day of the Finat congress, John Hickey, Smyth Companies and former chairman of the board at TLMI (USA) reflects back upon a 134 year old history as 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 the industry round table, featuring a panel of thought leaders, including Geoff Martin (CCL Label) and Rik Olthof (Cartils Brand Consultancy).  Keynote speaker Miles Hilton-Barber (UK), adventurer, concludes the day with a very inspirational session on how change can affect an individual and his working environment based on his personal insight gained during extreme endurance events.