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and effort to establishing a practical action agenda in this
arena. This is an illustration of the way in which the national
associations are working with FINAT to define harmonised
regional working plans that comply with pan-European
legislation like the European Packaging Directive and REACH.’
international
events
International events planning is another
core agenda point for the NAB in
conjunction with FINAT. This year’s FINAT
Congress, organised with VskE in
München, is a fine example of what can be
achieved, with an outstanding speaker
lineup, networking opportunities, partner
programme, and, of course sporting activities. As FINAT Vice
President
Thomas Hagmaier
told NarroWebTech magazine:
‘The transfer of knowledge and information is only one aspect
of conferences and meetings: the other is the establishment of
personal contacts through talks during breaks or social events
after the workload.’
As well as revealing the winners of the FINAT Label
Competition, the Congress agenda will also see the
presentation of the student winner of the Congress Logo
Competition, originally conceived by the Turkish label
association ESD. ‘It’s a great opportunity to reach out to
tomorrow’s label printers’, says Aydin Okay.
Next on the label industry’s calendar is the Brussels Labelexpo
show. FINAT and Labelexpo organisers Tarsus have signed a
marketing/promotional partnership agreement – which is
particularly valuable for the biennial European shows -- that
extends now to 2019. FINAT’s stand in Brussels -- Hall 11, stand
P40 – will be a pleasant meeting place where members can
network with their customers and end users in comfort, with
light refreshments. 2013 winners in the FINAT Label
Competition will be exhibited at Labelexpo, and will benefit
from an extensive PR initiative across Europe that will extend
later to those entries that also succeed in the World Label
Awards, particularly those adjudged the ‘Best of the Best’.
2014 will see the successful biennial Technical Seminar return
to Barcelona in the Spring, with the ‘call for papers’ beginning
now.
the
future
?
Looking to the future, the NAB today has a long list of ‘wants’
that can be achieved through an ever-strengthening European
network. These include the development of an environmental
certification scheme; promoting increased FINAT membership
with trial and reduced-rate membership schemes; exploring
the concept of a European FINAT ‘roadshow’ to travel round
the different countries, both as an information and
promotional tool; setting up an industry educational
programme for universities; and strongly increasing the profile
of FINAT and the national label associations at end-user level.
‘Live’ updating presentations given by senior FINAT personnel
at national associations’ congresses could help promote
FINAT’s profile at a local level.
FINAT President
Kurt Walker (CH)
sees
these agenda items as part of a larger
strategic vision of the future relationship
between the national associations and
FINAT, but also between FINAT and the
regional label trade association world-
wide, in the context of the L9 partnership.
‘As FINAT board, we are examining, and debating on, some
significant options for tomorrow. Should, for example, the
role of FINAT in relation to the national associations become
formal and statutory? As a Europe-wide force, could FINAT
take on an ambassadorial, if not mediatory, role in balancing
the interests of the (now truly international) supplier base
with those of the converter members, who remain primarily
SMEs? How can we genuinely activate and extend our role
and our reach in the environmental arena (after all, we are
not alone on the planet!)? Should FINAT expand its reach
into other labelling technologies, as well as geographies
outside Europe?’
Kurt Walker concludes: ‘Facilitating the NAB and its activities
is the FINAT Secretariat, whose remit is to make the board’s
decisions become reality. I believe we are now establishing the
joined-up infrastructure that’s best suited to promoting and
developing our industry and its special technology’.
27
FINAT YEARBOOK
2013
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