Two-day educational program schedule

Loupe Americas 2026 will host a full educational conference across the first two days of the exhibition, 15 and 16 September, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. The program features keynote addresses, breakout tracks and hands-on afternoon workshops, with Education Pass holders receiving full access to all sessions plus digital summaries of every session so they can review content without missing time on the show floor.

Day one: September 15

The program opens at 10:00 am with a keynote on packaging trends defining the next decade, presented by Lauren Ryder, global packaging analyst at Mintel, and moderated by Chelsea McDougall, editor and content director of Labels and Labeling. The session draws on global consumer and market research to address connected packaging, personalization, evolving sustainability priorities and changing purchasing behaviors across labels, flexible packaging and folding cartons.

From 11:00 am to noon, two concurrent sessions run across the two rooms. In Room 14, the AIPIA-powered session on RFID in smart and connected packaging features Catalina Steenbakkers of AWA Alexander Watson Associates, Jason Rambler of Avery Dennison, Zach Lowman of Wiliot and Steve Statler of ambientChat.ai. In Room 12/13 at the same time, a converter panel moderated by Dale Coates, CEO and president of TLMI, features Thomas Dahbura of Hub Labels, Daniel Rosenbaum of NextGen Label Group, Jay Parks of RR Donnelley and Tara Halpin of Steinhauser, addressing workforce development, AI implementation, succession planning and capital expenditure strategy.

From noon to 12:30 pm, two further concurrent sessions run. In Room 14, Matthew Russell, director of retail at the Auburn University RFID Lab, presents the foundations of a successful retail RFID deployment, covering use cases, performance benchmarking and compliance management. In Room 12/13, Efrén Ramírez of 305 Labels and Mike Ferrari of Ferrari Innovation Solutions present on building new opportunities in flexible packaging, examining the decisions behind expanding beyond core label capabilities.

From 12:30 to 1:00 pm, two final morning sessions run concurrently. In Room 14, Steve De Benedetto of HiFlow Solutions moderates a session on how AI is rewiring packaging manufacturing workflows, with Jennifer Valentine of Resource Label Group and Aleks Zlatic of Aurum Intelligence. In Room 12/13, Steven Haedrich of New York Label and Box Works and David Totten of Nosco present on unlocking growth through flexible packaging and folding carton diversification.

The afternoon workshop from 2:00 to 4:00 pm is a hands-on AI session led by Steve Metcalf, co-founder and CEO of Imagine AI Live, designed to demystify practical AI deployment across estimating, production scheduling, quality control and inventory management through guided exercises and live demonstrations.

Day two: September 16

Day two begins early with the FSEA Rise and Shine embellishment track from 8:00 to 10:00 am in Room 12/13, running four sequential sessions. Michael DeBard of DGM Digital Converting Machinery, Michael Aumann of Kurz and Michael Cox of Konica Minolta open with a panel on digital inkjet embellishment for roll-to-roll applications. Ross Hutchison of Universal Engraving, David Bales of Univacco Technology and Gary Bibler of K Laser Technology then compare hot and cold foil processes. Brett Stow of Absolute Printing Equipment Services and Ben Luly of Mark Andy address roll-to-roll folding carton embellishment opportunities. The track closes with Tim Cain of Breit Technologies and Dan Spah of Commerce Label presenting on cast and cure embellishment technology.

The main conference program resumes at 10:00 am with a keynote titled Today's Manufacturing Reality, featuring Mark Denzler, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, and Corey Reardon, president and CEO of AWA Alexander Watson Associates, presenting market statistics and data-driven insights on current industry conditions.

From 11:15 am to 12:15 pm, two concurrent sessions run. In Room 14, the Ambassador Forum brings together Corey Reardon of AWA Alexander Watson Associates, Steven Haedrich of New York Label and Box Works, Tyler Matusevich, director of sustainability at Brook and Whittle, Katie Harrington, senior manager of marketing at Winpak Portion Packaging, and David Totten of Nosco, sharing perspectives on market intelligence, flexible packaging, folding carton, sustainability and future leaders themes. In Room 12/13 at the same time, Michael Manley of Amazon Transparency presents a guide to GS1 Sunrise 2027 compliance, covering the transition from 1D UPC barcodes to 2D data-rich codes.

From 12:15 to 12:45 pm, two further concurrent sessions run. In Room 14, Selah Zighelboim of Labels and Labeling and Carrie Aaron of Hub Labels address labor market dynamics and workforce development strategies for label and packaging businesses. In Room 12/13, Brian Van de Water, founder and CEO of SPL Consulting, presents on succession planning options for label and packaging companies including family transition, management buyout and private equity routes.

From 12:45 to 1:15 pm, two final afternoon sessions run concurrently. In Room 14, Thomas Blaige, chairman and CEO of Blaige and Company, unpacks M&A trends across North America including private equity activity and converter group acquisitions. In Room 12/13, Karen Weinstein of Recykleap presents on how converters and suppliers can turn EPR compliance into a commercial opportunity by partnering with brands on more recyclable packaging design.

The program concludes from 2:00 to 3:30 pm with Women in Focus, moderated by Jade Grace, managing director of Loupe Global, featuring Kara Demirjian Huss of DCC Marketing, Jessica Ashley Garmon of The Will Group, Maria Doughty of The Chicago Network and Kristen Shields of Graymills Corporation, covering career pathways, mentorship, community building, personal branding and work-life balance, followed by structured roundtable discussions.