Label Academy to host third virtual master class

Label Academy has confirmed its third virtual master class will be dedicated to brand protection. A two-part event will take place in March, offering insights from brand owners, consultants and converters, as well as covering key trends and technologies.

Label Academy's third virtual master class will be dedicated to brand protection

As with the previous two virtual master classes, the Brand protection master class will be presented by Labels & Labeling and Labelexpo’s strategic director Andy Thomas-Emans, who will be joined by guest speakers from the American Apparel and Footwear Association, Avery Dennison, Digimarc, HP, the International Hologram Manufacturers Association, INX International Ink Co., Mercian Labels, Vandagraf and VerifyMe. Branding and design consultant Vicki Strull will also present on the program.

The master class will also be split into two two-hour parts, the first of which will take place on Tuesday, March 23, and the second on Tuesday, March 30. 

Part one will present a range of brand protection perspectives, with sessions including an overview of the counterfeiting market, a brand owner perspective on what’s important, a brand consultant perspective, and the label converter view on the challenges of meeting a brand owner’s needs. Part two will focus on some of the key overt and covert technologies, with sessions covering inks, anti-tamper materials, print processes, RFID and NFC tags, holograms, and watermarking.

‘We are delighted to grow our online learning portfolio with this latest educational opportunity covering our global industry’s most pressing topics,’ commented Andy Thomas-Emans. ‘This is the first time we’ve hosted a master class on brand protection, which has never been more crucial than now. Consumer demand for label and package printing continues to rise, and with it, the thriving counterfeiting market at all levels of the supply chain. It’s important, therefore, that anyone involved in label and package printing production is aware of the scale of the challenge, the possible pitfalls, and has a full understanding of the key technologies tackling this.

‘This is a great opportunity to provide an insight into the technology evolution that has occurred in recent years in the development of holograms and optical devices in general for product security and authentication,’ added Dr Paul Dunn, chairman of International Hologram Manufacturers Association, and one of the speakers. ‘The diversity of technologies today offers a wide choice of optical security solutions to add value and security to any Brand product.’

Michael Welch, senior product manager for durables at Avery Dennison North America, added: ‘The global Covid-19 pandemic put a spotlight on maintaining consumer safety and has amplified the need for anti-tampering materials and packaging. We're excited to share new materials, applications, and use cases in the virtual master class.’

The brand protection virtual master class costs USD 95 per session. For more information and booking, visit www.labelsandlabeling.com/label-academy/master-classes