ICE Europe attendees watch and listen as exhibitors demonstrate their equipment's capabilities.

FP: What is the ICE USA 2011 show exactly?

Boyle: ICE stands for International Converting Exhibition and existed as a concept since 1997 and as a show since 1999, when the very first ICE took place in Europe in Amsterdam. At the time there was only one ICE, over time and under my leadership, more recently that of Mack Brooks Exhibitions after they acquired ICE in 2008, ICE has developed into the global brand that it is today – four shows on four continents: ICE Europe, ICE Asia, ICE South America and now ICE USA.



Flexible Packaging: What do you hope attendees will be able to extract from the show?

Michael Boyle: I never had any doubt that the pioneering spirit was alive and kicking here in North America and I have not been disappointed. Take a look at the current ICE USA exhibitor list – you will see the American pioneers, all 250 of them.

For those not buying and specifying machinery, materials and services there is another level – education, transferring knowledge and expertise. Whether at the AIMCAL Technical Conference, at the pre-show CEMA Technical Seminars or pre-show Flexible Packaging Symposium sponsored by TAPPI, or at the Ask the Experts booth – where four converting industry experts offer free advice – ICE USA has a lot to offer for those seeking wisdom and enlightenment rather than products and services.

Depending on what they are looking for, visitors will either benefit from an all-around educational experience or a damn good converting shopping spree.

The experience depends on the needs of the attendee. For sure, the show floor is a buyer’s paradise. Two-hundred fifty leading suppliers will be in a compact space, all strutting their stuff – presenting new products, new innovations, new developments, unique services, etc. ICE got its reputation in Europe as the place to source innovative suppliers under one roof. We got the best of the best together and developed the show from there. Those suppliers who sat out the show in its early years have admitted to me often in person that they missed some wonderful opportunities. How does the saying go? “Fortune favors the brave.” That certainly applies both to ICE in Europe eight years ago and right now to ICE USA.



FP: What kind of show highlights would readers of Flexible Packaging benefit from?

Boyle: The show in itself is a highlight, with lots of running machinery, in particular coating and laminating, drying and curing, slitting, winding, handling and finishing. Some other recent converting events have partnered with related events, such as packaging or printing shows, and discovered the hard way that it is not what converters want. We took over CMM and turned a struggling show into an exciting and compelling converting event, we turned it into ICE USA. One-hundred percent converting, that is what converters want, nothing more, nothing less.



FP: Congratulations on the move into a larger hall. Knowing the show is already receiving a large welcome, what tidbits would entice readers who might be undecided about attending this year's show?

Boyle: Orlando in April is quite enticing, especially after the long, hard winter most are experiencing in the USA and Canada. The sunshine and nice weather are like the “ice-ing” on the cake, a nice way to round off the ICE experience. Not the reason to come, but maybe a good excuse to stay a bit longer – as the show finishes on a Friday during Spring Break.

By pre-registering online, attendees can save money; the cost of attending the show is just $20 instead of $40. We also have a selection of hotels located near the convention center at discounted rates, but room numbers are limited. The conference program is first class, combined with the exhibits on the show floor there is more than enough to occupy converting professionals for a couple of days.

   

Conferences at ICE USA

Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Keynote: Global Consolidation in the Packaging Industry
Thomas Blaige, Blaige & Company

Session 1A - Web Coating – Process
Session 2A - Web Handling / Winding
Session 3A - Package Printing and Converting – Process


Thursday, April 7, 2011
Keynote: Future Outlook, Challenges, and Opportunities in Paper Based Packaging Markets
Frank Perkowski, Business Development Advisory, Inc.

Session 1B - Web Coating - Measurement / Quality
Session 2B - Web Handling / Winding - Measurement / Quality
Session 3B - Package Printing and Converting


Friday, April 8, 2011
Keynote: Overview of Global Label Markets
Corey Reardon, AWA Alexander Watson Associates

Session 1C - Web Coating – Process
Session 2C - Web Handling / Winding – Process
Session 3C - Package Printing and Converting - Measurement / Quality – Chemistry

For more detailed information on subtopics covered, visitwww.ice-x-usa.com.

TAPPI's Flexible Packaging Symposium to Precede ICE USA

Join your colleagues one day prior to the start of the ICE SHOW for the 2011 TAPPI PLACE Flexible Packaging Symposium, April 5, 2011 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

This comprehensive, state-of-the-art overview of the latest biopolymer materials, additives, processing technology, applications, environmental aspects and market trends will offer a real-time dialogue with industry experts and colleagues about the collective sustainability challenge. Learn how to integrate sustainable practices throughout your manufacturing process, best practices for successfully and cost-effectively extruding biopolymers, as well as achieving your sustainability goals progressively.

Featuring presenters from companies like European Bioplastics, Allied Development, Optex Process Solutions and the Flexible Packaging Association, this symposium will cover:

New Developments in Renewable Source Resins and Films
Extrusion of Biopolymers
Employing Sustainable Flexible Packaging Practices
Progressive Sustainability - Achieving Your Goals

TAPPI
(800) 332-8686
www.tappi.org