WHO SHOULD ATTEND: The Southeast is the No. 3 region in the U.S. plastics industry with more than 3,600 plastics facilities. It is also one of the fastest growing regions and the Plastics Encounter Atlanta conference and trade show will be a showcase for the plastics industry. The three-day event will attract attendees from a broad range of end-user markets, primarily production and manufacturing professionals and design engineers, with the authority to recommend, specify and approve purchases of plastics materials, equipment and technology.

All the plastics processes will be represented on a show floor that features significant new networking opportunities. It will be a great place to do business.

SOUTHERN-STYLE CONFERENCE: This two-day business and technology conference -- running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 13 and 14 -- will explore a variety of current hot-button topics. The conference program is now complete, with 19 leading industry executives scheduled to address such issues as:

• prospects for the manufacturing economy
• plastic-container recycling trends and recycled-content usage challenges
• rigid and flexible packaging end-market prospects
• e-purchasing risks & benefits
• work-force training resources
• cutting-edge injection molding technologies (e.g. water-assisted molding)
• pros & cons of all-electric vs. hybrid injection presses
  

The $50 conference preregistration fee will provide access to both days of the conference and all three days of the accompanying trade show. It will cost $100 to register for the conference on-site. You can now preregister for the conference online.

The Society of Plastics Engineers' Southern Section and Extrusion Division are jointly sponsoring an extrusion technology MINITEC on Nov. 13 in conjunction with Plastics Encounter Atlanta. Additional information is available from SPE.

Enron and the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. also are organizing a free, interactive seminar on-site from 8:30 am - 12 noon on Nov. 15 to help educate processors about available financial risk-management tools. See complete details or use the Atlanta attendee registration form to register for this free event.

Additionally, Compuplast International is again offering a two-day troubleshooting training seminar at the Encounter, on Nov. 14-15, for extrusion operators and supervisors. This all-day, hands-on seminar costs just $100 and is an excellent way to train staff. Click here for details or to register.