Thrive in '09 with insights from IoPP Packaging Summit

If you want insights on how your packaged brand can survive and prosper in a tough economy in 2009, the IoPP Packaging Summit conference, produced by the Institute of Packaging Professionals (www.iopp.org), might have the answers you need. The conference will be May 19 and 20 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, Rosemont, IL.

This year, the conference program will focus on costs and economics associated with branding, packaging, and manufacturing.

Among the scheduled speakers confirmed thus far are:

• Jeffrey Hayzlett, chief business development officer and vice president at Eastman Kodak Co. Hayzlett will discuss packaging’s impact in building the company’s new products, including speed-to-shelf.

• Jon Denham, vice president design and innovation at Kraft, and Phil Best, vice president, product design and innovation at LPK. They will explore how Kraft innovates to reach cost and marketing goals, with package design as a core strategy.

• Jane Casto, vice president, engineering technologies at Ecolob. Casto’s presentation will be “Building Passion for Packaging: Selling the Value of Your Work to Management.”

• Sterling Anthony, president of the Sterling Anthony Consultancy. He will address “Bio Plastics in the Real World: Separating Potential from Puffery.” The conference will also include a track on logistics issues. Scheduled speakers are:

• Eric Lindquist, president, Entropy Solutions. He will speak on “Reverse Logistics...Answer Sustainable Packaging Needs,” focusing on issues including the key points to making returnables work and costs and savings in a returnables program.

• Tom Blanck, business unit manager at Adalis Corp., will outline practical steps to deliver cost savings when implementing sustainable packaging. He also will discuss how to recognize the savings when they extend beyond packaging and into the supply chain and logistics.

Media sponsor of the Packaging Summit is Packaging World. For the complete program agenda and registration details, contact IoPP at 630/696-4010 or [email protected].