Afera, the European Adhesive Tape Association, has opened registration for its 67th Annual Conference which it will host at the Hyatt Regency in Thessaloniki, Greece, from 25 to 27 September 2024. Themed “Taping Our Future”, the premier event for the European tape business typically attracts 150 participants from 15 countries across Europe, Asia, the U.S. and the Middle East for critical networking and deep diving into the hottest tape business issues.
Uniting business owners and decision-makers within the European industrial adhesive tapes business
“The best in the trade are gearing up for an extraordinary experience at the upcoming Afera Annual Conference 2024,” announced Astrid Lejeune, Secretary General of Afera. “Our team is hard at work crafting an exceptional working and networking programme which promises to enlighten and inspire. This event provides a great opportunity to become part of a transformative journey into the world of tapes, and for this reason we are seeing increased rates of early registration and sponsorship.”
“Focussing on the future of tapes for the packaging, commodity and specialty trades, this year’s Conference aims to chart the course for tomorrow’s advancements and futureproofing the business,” added Evert Smit, who is President of Afera and director scouting (for sustainability, technology and innovation) at Lohmann GmbH & Co. KG. “Led by a dedicated team from Afera’s Marketing Committee consisting of adhesive tape value chain delegates from ABI Tape, Atlas Tapes, Bostik, Icap-Sira, Kraton Polymers, Lohmann, Loparex and Organik Kimya, we are crafting a 3-day agenda packed with engaging topics, insightful discussions, and networking experiences that I am truly excited about.”
Identifying trends, facing challenges, finding solutions and delivering useful, cutting-edge information
Over 3 days, attendees will delve into market data and trends, explore economic indicators and prospects, navigate regulatory landscapes, uncover the expectations of OEMs and end users, and discover the latest innovations in tape technologies, applications, product development and company management, all with a focus on sustainability. By popular demand, panel debates, long networking coffee breaks and organised Conference lunches and dinners have been incorporated into the schedule.
A pre-programme on 24 and 25 September also includes biannual meetings of Afera’s Technical, Marketing and Steering Committees, as well as an annual update on the Association’s Flagship Sustainability Project. Accompanied by much media and Industry attention, the AFSP will be launching Afera’s groundbreaking Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) calculation tool for adhesives tapes during the Conference itself.
Organised in a different European city each year and with a new layout and content, Afera’s Annual Conference is considered to be the most important European adhesive tape industry event of the season. Open to members and, on a limited basis, non-members, Afera’s Conference is attended by more than 150 company delegates representing businesses along the adhesive tape industry value chain: primarily manufacturers of tapes; raw materials, machine and packaging suppliers; converters of tapes; research institutions; national tape organisations, and other international counterparts, such as PSTC, JATMA, CATIA and TAAT.
Annual Conference registration invitations have already been sent to 1,500 key players, inquisitive minds and innovative leaders in the European adhesive tape industry. The working and networking programmes will be added to the dedicated event website (https://www.aferatapeconference.com) at the start of June.