On September 15 and 16, the historic city of Valencia, Spain, will welcome attendees of the FEICA European Adhesives and Sealants Conference 2011. This year’s conference will be located at the Hotel Las Arenas Balneario Resort near the city’s center. Program highlights will include opening discussions by top economists, educational sessions and a business forum.

Opening Session

Two leading economists, Norbert Walter and Tom Brewer, will discuss the industry’s outlook during the plenary session on the morning of September 15. Walter, a former chief economist of Deutsche Bank, will address the general economic outlook in Europe in comparison to the overall global market. Brewer will follow this presentation with his own evaluation of the current state of raw material supply. The morning will conclude with an update on the European, American and Asian market conditions from Monique von Dungen, CHEM Research GMBH, and Dave Nick, DPNA International.

Learning Opportunities

Concurrent educational sessions will take place immediately after lunch on September 15. Lectures in the first track will cover market and technology innovations, while the second track will include topics relevant to legislation. The third track will provide an outlook on the Spanish market; all sessions in this track will be given in Spanish.

The business forum and panel discussion are scheduled for September 16. The keynote address, “Reduction to Practice of Bio-Inspired Adhesives: A COST Working Group for the Dialogue between Industry and Academia,” will be given by Aránzazu del Campo, independent research group leader on Active Surfaces and Minerals at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research. A panel of industry experts will then address the concept of regaining sustainable yet profitable growth from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

After a short coffee break, industry experts will be available for further discussion and Q&A. The forum and panel discussion strive to promote the sharing of industry challenges and solutions among formulators and suppliers of adhesives, sealants, and raw materials.

Additional Highlights

A tabletop exhibition will take place all day September 15 and throughout the morning of September 16. Additional networking opportunities will occur during daily lunches and an optional boat ride in the Albufera National Park to the Island El Palmar for a paella dinner following the conference.

For more information, visit www.feica-conferences.com/the-conference/home/.