When family vacationers think of Orlando, Fla., the Magic Kingdom that comes to mind is probably the one Disney presents. But when the secondary fiber industry gathers in Orlando June 10-12 for the Paper Recycling Conference & Trade show, the magic drawing the most interest is the recent resurgence of scrap paper markets.
The eighth annual conference, organized by the Recycling Today Media Group division of GIE Media Inc., Cleveland, is June 10-12, 2007, at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando.
This year’s event, again co-sponsored by the Paper Stock Industries (PSI) Chapter of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI), includes an economist and futurist as a guest speaker and the opportunity for conference registrants to attend sessions from two other conferences that are co-located with the Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show.
DRAWING A CROWD. Last year’s Paper Recycling Conference in suburban Chicago attracted more than 550 industry professionals from around the world. This year’s event is structured to include many of the same attractions that have helped to establish the conference as a must-attend event: educational programming, the latest equipment and service offerings in the exhibit hall and many networking opportunities.
New this year is the addition of a guest speaker who offers a wider view of global trends and economic fundamentals.
Beyond its educational programming and networking opportunities, the Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show also offers buyers and sellers of recovered fiber the chance to do some "one-stop shopping" at a temporary shopping center of equipment suppliers, paperstock dealers and additional vendors to the industry. The exhibit hall at the 2007 conference, which is at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando, offers an impressive list of exhibiting companies, including the following: 21st Century Programming, Booth 304 Accent Wire, Booth 402 Allegheny Paper Shredders Corp., Booth 101 Allied Waste, Booth 203 American Baler Co., Booth 411 American Forest & Paper Association, Booth 210 Balemaster, Booth 503 Bulk Handling Systems, Booth 401, 403 Caraustar, Booth 312 Cellpap NA Inc., Booth 504 CIETrade Systems Inc., Booth 213 CP Manufacturing, Inc., Booth 404 Cram-A-Lot, Booth 313 Creative Lights, Inc., Booth 505 Ely Enterprises Inc., Booth 202 Enterprise Co., Booth 311 Excel Manufacturing, Inc., Booth 212 Granutech Saturn Systems, Booth 108 Harris Waste Management Group Inc., Booth 205 International Baler Corp., Booth 305 IPS Balers Inc., Booth 301 Jorgensen Conveyors Inc., Booth 510 Karl W. Schmidt & Associates Inc., Booth 511 L.P. Wire Tie Systems, Booth 200 Li-Potter International LLC, Booth 100 Logemann Brothers Co., Booth 512 Machinex, Booth 111 Management Science Associates Inc., Booth 214 Moore & Associates, Booth 303 Nexgen Baling Systems, Booth 400 Paper Stock Industries Chapter of ISRI, Booth 201 Recycle Guard Insurance Program, Booth 204 SP Industries Inc., Booth 513 Sierra International, Booth 310 Sherbrooke OEM Ltd., Booth 105 Southwestern Wire Inc., Booth 410 Trex, Booth 405 TriStar Capital LLC, Booth 103 Van Dyk Baler, Booth 300, 302 Vecoplan, Booth 500 Waste Processing Equipment Inc., Booth 211
Don Reynolds is billed as "a hands-on economist and futurist" who offers listeners an insider’s view of current economic and political events. His career and current research focuses on understanding long-term economic, demographic and technology trends and their effects on investors and business owners. (See sidebar on p. 224.)
In-House Expertise
The opening general session featuring Reynolds is one of several events during the three-day conference that offers attendees of the Paper Recycling Conference and two other conferences taking place in parallel—Recycling Today’s Plastics Recycling Conference and the debut of the Electronics Recycling Conference—to network with attendees of the other shows.
Another session on the cross-marketing opportunities of these different materials is open to attendees of all three events, as are exhibit hall breaks and receptions.
All three events are structured to allow for networking to take place between participants in the three markets, as many companies are either already recyclers of paper, plastics and electronics or they are exploring entering the other markets.
That very topic is among those on the schedule for attendees of the Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show.
TALK OF THE TOWN. The educational programming at this year’s Paper Recycling Conference includes sessions on a variety of topics on the minds of collectors, processors, brokers and buyers of recovered fiber, including:
• A workshop on paper pricing, presented by Moore & Associates, Atlanta, that includes participation from representatives of publications and services that offer recovered fiber pricing. An additional registration fee is required for this June 10 event.
• Another Sunday workshop is on "Cross-Marketing Opportunities" between paper recyclers, electronics recyclers, information destruction service providers and other types of companies that can benefit from strategic alliances.
• The Paper Recycling Conference Keynote Session features remarks from Raymond Lee, CEO of China’s fast-growing Lee & Man Paper Manufacturing Limited. Also on the roster is Maynard Benjamin, President of the Envelope Manufacturers Association, representing a major generator and consumer of fiber. The session is moderated by Pete Grogan of Weyerhaeuser.
• A Monday workshop offers a look at the steps operators of several recycling plants took when upgrading their processing facilities.
• This year’s Export Session, presented by the PSI Chapter of ISRI, examines the global trade of recovered paper and the trends that affect fiber flows throughout the next 12 months.
• A Tuesday session on Joint Ventures and Alliances presents information on creative joint ventures and business alliances paper recyclers have used to grow and strengthen their businesses.
• The closing session on Tuesday, entitled "When Customers Are Competitors," features a discussion between recyclers and mill companies on how relationships can be maintained when paper mills enter a regional market as paperstock dealers.
In addition to the educational programming, conference-goers also can take part in a variety of networking opportunities, including evening receptions, Monday lunch and several breaks in the exhibit hall.
The hall, which serves attendees of all three conferences, includes a greater number of exhibitors than at previous events, allowing attendees to stay in touch with current vendors and suppliers and possibly discover some new ones. (See sidebar on p. 223.)
PRIME PROPERTY. The setting for this year’s conference is the Peabody Hotel in Orlando. The Mobil Four-Star, AAA Four Diamond hotel is 15 minutes from Orlando International Airport.
Economist and futurist Don Reynolds will take the podium at this year’s Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show to offer listeners his view of current economic and political trends and events. His remarks are structured as a "high-energy presentation [with] rapid fire Q&A and spontaneous humor," offered with the intent of providing listeners with food for thought concerning long-term economic, Reynolds has served as the investment advisory board chairman of a $22 billion trust fund and a $120 billion state pension fund. His energy and enthusiasm as a speaker has not only earned him 1,000-plus appearances in that role, but more than half of those presentations have been made for clients who have invited him back a second or third time. His Fort Worth, Texas, consulting firm, 21st Century Forecasting, provides research services for multi-national companies in the areas of long-term global, economic, demographic and technology trends.
Current information on the conference, including how to register, is available from www.PaperRecycling
An Energetic Look at the Future
demographic and technology trends and how business owners and investors will be affected by such trends.
Conference.com.
The author is editor-in-chief of Recycling Today and can be contacted at btaylor@gie.net.
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