A Communication from the PLACE Div. of TAPPI
- Published: December 31, 2001, By David J. Bentley Jr., Editor
Providing practical information to the converting and packaging industries.
Conference Draws Rave Reviews
by John Benham
Subscribing to the theory that numbers do not lie, results of a post conference survey of attendees at the 2001 Polymers, Laminations and Coatings Conference in San Diego show that the meeting was a huge success. With a response rate of 25%, all survey participants gave the conference an overall rating of excellent or good. Agreement with the statement that “the technical content will be useful in my work” achieved a 98% response. Looking to the future, 94% of the people in the survey plan to attend the PLACE Conference in Boston in September 2002.
Comments from the survey forms indicated that attendees especially appreciated the three-day format of the meeting, the New Technology Showcase, conference gala event during the final evening, other networking opportunities, cyber café, proceedings on CD-ROM, and primer sessions. Perhaps one person summed everyone's feelings when he noted the “good papers and meeting with industry professionals.” The success of these features indicates that the Marketing Committee of the PLACE Division and all those in the PLACE Division who planned and coordinated this year's conference listened to its audience and responded to their needs.
As Chairperson of the Marketing Committee of the PLACE Division, I recognize that the conferences of the PLACE Division cannot meet all the requirements of every registrant. Areas where our group can improve include conference location, lodging costs, and concurrent sessions.
While these and other suggested areas for improvement sometimes reflect personal preferences, I will ensure that the Marketing Committee works to address all comments and try to improve the conference even further for next year. We know this is your conference. We want it to be useful to you. Please contact me by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your suggestions.
Hot Melt Group Revamps 2002 Meeting
For their Hot Melt Symposium in 2002, the Hot Melt Committee of the PLACE Division is planning many innovations. John Tangen of 3M Company, the Technical Program Chairperson, has announced that the meeting will occur at the Marriott City Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on June 23-25, 2002.
According to Tangen, “Meeting in Charlotte will allow attendees to take advantage of economical lodging rates and low transportation costs.” Condensing the event to a Sunday through Tuesday format means that registrants only need to spend two nights in Charlotte. “We are planning to offer an informal workshop or tutorial session on Sunday afternoon,” says Tangen. “Monday and Tuesday will feature technical sessions in the mornings and afternoons. This format will provide the maximum amount of information to symposium attendees in the shortest possible time.”
Technical Papers
In planning for the Hot Melt Symposium for 2002, Tangen has solicited papers on the raw materials, formulations, safety, and testing of reactive hot melt products. Other areas involve hot melt pressure sensitive adhesives with a special focus on UV and EB curing systems, new applications for hot melt products, uses in flexible packaging, information on dispensing systems, and bonding of wood, fabrics, and upholstery. “In this meeting,” said Tangen, “we will also look for presentations on alternate bonding methods. This will allow direct comparisons of hot melt systems to other systems while offering a broad range of technologies.” The alternate techniques will include aqueous materials, systems in solvent, two-component curing products, etc.
A special innovation for the meeting will be a New Technology Showcase. In this session, presenters will offer a ten-minute, commercial talk featuring a new technology involving a product or process. “Such presentations have proven extremely popular at other TAPPI meetings,” said Tangen, “because of the cutting edge technology they offer.” Following the New Technology Showcase, presenters will have tabletop exhibits in a room that will also feature a reception.
Additional Information
Answers to questions about the Hot Melt Symposium for 2002 are available from Tangen by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or from Kathy Betts at TAPPI by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. More information about the meeting will be available on the TAPPI web site at www.tappi.org as it becomes available. Inquiries by telephone should go to the TAPPI Member Connection Center at 1-800-332-8686 in the United States, 1-800-446-9431 in Canada, and +1-770-446-1400 from other locations.
