The Xeikon Café Exhibition and Conference, scheduled to take place March 20-23, 2018 in Belgium, will feature a range of newly introduced components that will make the event even more relevant, informative and interactive for participants. The 2018 edition will mark the introduction of an educational Academy, with technology-driven presentations and practical workshop sessions, and an informal social gathering to increase networking opportunities.

“Our goal with the Xeikon Café is to provide an industry educational venue that is as agnostic and neutral as possible as it explores the future of digital production. We want it to benefit the industry at large, helping people understand the new opportunities digital production can bring to their businesses and inspiring them to achieve new heights,” explains Danny Mertens of Xeikon Café. “This year’s focus is again on packaging innovations, and we hope to attract even more visitors than the 1,000 who attended last year. We have also moved this event to an annual schedule. This is in an effort to provide ongoing education, information about industry trends and inspiration to packaging converters, printers, brands and designers alike.”

The newly introduced Academy will provide a technical, educational forum centered around new end-use applications and packaging decoration techniques. “By introducing the Xeikon Café Academy, we are taking the technical element of the event to the next level. The goal is to guide visitors towards transforming their businesses for a successful future,” says Mertens. “We are driven by the desire to help participants make the most of the fantastic technology that is available in the market and to discover ways in which they can use it to their best advantage.”

The Academy will be a mix of workshops and presentations. The interactive workshops will be designed to help attendees acquire knowledge and make the right decisions for their businesses. Going beyond product specifications, the workshops will cover topics related to food safety, automation, exploring the creativity of digital, saving on cost, and print technologies. The presentations in the Academy will focus on the main packaging decoration techniques available today while covering all aspects of digital production – from workflow, print media and print engines to consumables and finishing equipment.

Attendees can choose from a range of topics, including self-adhesive, heat transfer, wet-glue, flexible packaging, among others, and attend the sessions most relevant for their business. Each presentation is concluded with a technology demonstration in the exhibition area of the Xeikon Café, making it highly practical and hands-on.

Next to the Academy, Xeikon Café 2018 will again feature general conference sessions with strategic keynotes speakers that will provide inspiration and education designed to help attendees move their business forward. In many cases, these presentations will involve brand owners who will speak at a high level about how they are implementing some of the 40 end-use applications demonstrated in the exhibition area.

Lastly, this year’s event will include a social event on the second evening, March 21. This informal get-together will give attendees the opportunity to meet the speakers and fellow visitors, review the day’s activities and discuss ideas and issues in a more relaxed setting.

“We strive to make Xeikon Café 2018 a top-class networking and educational industry event," says Mertens. "We want attendees to learn, discover new applications that can benefit their businesses and their customers, and network with peers. By combining the technology-focused sessions in the Academy, the strategic presentations in the conference and the more than 40 end-use applications being produced live at the exhibition area, visitors can be assured of gaining a holistic view of the particular packaging innovations they are most interested in."