FINAT, the European label industry association, has released the program for its seventh European Label Forum, and its 64th annual conference overall. The event will be held from June 1-3 at the Grand Hotel Dino in Baveno, along the borders of Lago Maggiore (Italy).
The 2022 edition of the ‘ELF’ is FINAT’s first live event since June 2019, when Copenhagen hosted the event. The 2020 edition had to be canceled, while the ELF 2021 had to take place entirely online due to the Covid19 Pandemic.
FINAT Managing Director Jules Lejeune is very pleased that FINAT’s flagship event is now back on the road. “Since we launched the new conference format in 2015, the European Label Forum has developed into THE annual executive summit for the European label community, where business leaders from the value chain gather to network, learn and engage in dialogue on matters of strategic importance to the industry.”
“A lot has changed since the Pandemic in the way organisations connect, communicate and collaborate, and FINAT is no exception,” said FINAT Managing Director Jules Lejeune. “But one thing hasn’t changed, and that’s the need for in-person contact to establish and maintain connections, build relationships and develop a mutual understanding.”
The ELF 2022 comes at a time when the European label industry is facing crucial challenges, both in the short and medium-term. In the early months of the Pandemic back in 2020, the label industry passed the ‘stress test’ of excess demand (for critical products in food, personal care and medical products), combined with disruptions in raw materials supply and workforce availability. In 2021, the sector peaked again, this time because of the rapid economic recovery following the Covid recession.
And now, in 2022, the sector is facing an unprecedented ‘perfect storm’ of shortages of components, raw materials and consumables, compounded by local strikes; shortages of skilled labor and talent ready for the digital transformation; accelerated consolidation combined with abundant capital availability and succession challenges; opportunities and challenges associated with changing consumer behavior and e-commerce; the challenges of Industry 4.0 and Big Data; the EU Green Deal and its associated tsunami of legislation, regulations and industry guidelines to advance the transition towards the Circular Economy; and, since the end of February, the global political and economic uncertainty associated with the war in Ukraine.
Compared to previous editions, this year’s program brings together no less than six expert panels and numerous presentations addressing the above topics and more.
