Autumn event to explore the scope of Smart label technology

Smart Label Summit Europe will be taking place 15-16 November in Amsterdam. The high-level conference is the only European event this year delivered by the Labelexpo Global Series and is unique in the way that it will have a strong focus on the capabilities of all smart label technologies plus RFID.

The autumn conference will explore the size and scope of the European smart label market and offer delegates the chance to learn about the huge opportunities available to their label businesses and customer base through adopting this state-of-the-art technology. The event will also enable delegates to network with leading experts, industry peers, European brand owners and provide a platform for identifying new business opportunities and commercial partnerships.

It has been predicted that by 2015, 1000 billion item level tags will be sold annually and 99.5 per cent of these will be in the form of labels. In addition, the forecast growth of smart active and intelligent labels is expected to reach 1.8 billion by 2010. Both these statistics truly provide a reason for label printers and brand owners to learn about the benefits of adopting this technology for the efficiency, profitability and future of their business both at European and global level.

Smart Label Summit Europe has attracted top speakers from some of Europe's leading brand owner organizations in the retail, healthcare, IT and FMCG sectors. Experts from Pfizer, Tesco, Woolworths, Marks & Spencer, Unilever and Hewlett Packard, will be taking center stage in Amsterdam in November, to share their predictions, insights and expert advice with senior-level delegates.

On the first day of the conference, Chris Adcock, president of EPCglobal Inc., will deliver the keynote presentation and discuss the role of standards in helping international retailers to expand their business beyond their home markets. He will also analyze the commercial opportunities emerging from Central and Eastern European countries. Tim Marsh, technology manager in the global packaging division at Pfizer, will demonstrate how drug safety and tracking can be improved.

Experts from key European retail groups will give presentations, using recent examples which will help delegates to understand the practical elements to implementing this technology in the supply chain. James Stafford, head of RFID at Marks & Spencer, will highlight how the UK retail chain is using item level tagging to improve customer service and business efficiency in its clothing and food departments.

Rene Bakker, logistics director at Schuitema, a leading retail group in the Netherlands will present a case study to delegates about how smart labels can be used to grow a retail business. Schuitema owns the Dutch supermarket chain, C1000, which has hundreds of outlets across the country. His presentation will show how RFID/smart labels can reduce fresh food wastage in the supply chain and improve operational processes.

A tabletop exhibition will be running alongside the conference with exhibitors from across Europe attending, including: Avery Dennison, HP, Timestrip, bielomatik, Domino Printing Sciences and Picosoft, to name a few.

Roger Pellow, Smart Label Summit managing director, said: ‘We look forward to staging this important conference for European printers and brand owners in Amsterdam. The world of smart and intelligent labels is changing fast, and it's not just RFID that is driving the market. New developments in smart active label solutions and smart intelligent labels are expected to have a major impact on many sectors in the next few years, so it's essential for the industry to be better informed about the technologies that will have a massive impact on the future of their business.‘