Material World and Technology Solutions Educational Conference

An official event of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), Material World returns to the Miami Beach Convention Center, April 21-23, 2009 with a full-scale educational conference touching on the industry's most important trade and business developments. The educational conference will also feature special presentations from top trend forecasters, as well as in depth panel discussions touching on today's designer business, how to connect, communicate and collaborate with factories and sourcing solutions for small manufacturers.

In addition, Material World runs concurrently with Technology Solutions, the premiere exposition and educational conference for information technology that enables today's sewn products industry. New for 2009, the Technology Solutions Educational Conference will introduce a dramatically expanded educational series that will include the new Fashion-iT Seminar series as well as the a special Technology Solutions headliner event presented by IBM in cooperation with the AAFA on Wednesday, April 22, 2009 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm.

April 2009 Program highlights include:

On Tuesday, April 21, 2009, AAFA will kick off the Material World educational conference with its headliner event, Leading Out Loud: Today's Association Leaders Talk About the Future from 7:30 - 10 a.m. Moderated by Kurt Cavano, Chairman & CEO, TradeCard, Inc, the program will bring together a panel of trade association leaders from the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), The National Association for the Sewn Products Industries (SEAMS), and the American Apparel Producer's Network (AAPN). Discussion points will cover the political, economic, legislative, trade and social environments, today's consumer and the role technology will play in moving the combined industries forward.

In addition, AAFA will also present: STOP! Your Business Depends on Understanding the New Consumer Product Safety Information Act on Wednesday, April 22 from 9:00 am - 10:30 am. As product safety continues to be one of the most contentious and challenging issues on the retail landscape today, AAFA will help the fashion business understand it from all angles - legislative, legal and testing.

IBM in cooperation with AAFA will present the Technology Solutions headliner event, Get Ready for a Smaller, Flatter, Smarter World - A Mandate for Change is a Mandate for Smarter Fashion on Wednesday, April 22 from 12:00 - 1:30 pm. During this 90-minute session, Guy Blissette, IBM Global Business Services, Senior Managing Consultant-institute for Business Value, Consumer Products Lead, will use real-world stories to communicate what apparel companies big and small are doing to relinquish the past in order to create smarter systems, processes and fashion products. IBM will also discuss the systems and processes that enable value chain collaboration in order to change the way apparel and fashion goods are developed and manufactured, as well as raise the bar for supply chain visibility and customer delivery performance.

The Technology Solutions headliner event will be supported by the Fashion-iT Seminar Series. Organized and produced by Rick Ludolph, President, Productive Solutions LLC, this series will feature four in-depth programs addressing the issues of Design & Merchandising Solutions, Product Development Solutions, Sourcing & Supply Chain Management Solutions, and Logistics & Distribution Solutions. Conducted in an interactive panel discussion format, each of the one-hour sessions will be comprised of a variety of companies, strategies, technologies, and business case studies.

Textile and apparel industry consultant and author David Birnbaum will present How to Do Well in Today's Market on Tuesday, April 21 from 1:30 - 2:30 pm. Birnbaum's presentation will provide insight and strategies to companies that are willing to operate their design and production runs differently so they can succeed in today's market and can also hold a strong position in the market in the future.

The U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) will host Regional Textile and Apparel Trade Agreements: An Update on Tuesday, April 21 from 2:30 - 3:30 pm. The U.S. Department of Commerce will provide an overview and an update of the regional agreements including the U.S. - Central American - Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-dR), the U.S. - Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, and others. This presentation will also cover key provisions, recent changes, and valuable contact information for businesses.

Material World and Miami International University of Art & Design will present Today's Designer Business on Wednesday, April 22 from 11:45 am - 12:45 pm. Moderated by Charlene Parsons, Fashion Department Chairperson, Miami International University of Art and Design and Kevin Knaus, Vice President Global Fashion and Trend Director of Material World, this inaugural event will feature a panel of leading Miami based designers who will share first hand information on the various aspects affecting today's designer business.

Material World Miami Beach will also provide attendees with advance color and trend direction highlighting Spring/summer 2010 season for the apparel industry with a number of presentations from the industry's leading trend trackers and services, including Pantone, Stylesight and Promostyl.

For complete descriptions and details on advance seminar registration and pricing (some programs are free), visit www.material-world.com or www.techsolutionsexpo.com.

The full Material World & Technology Solutions schedule-at-a-glance, includes:

TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2009
Material World Headliner Event
AAFA Presents: Leading Out Loud: Today's Association Leaders Talk about the Future, 7:30 am - 10:00 am

Fashion IT Seminar (Session 1): Design & Merchandising Solutions, 10:30 am - 11:30 am

Pantone Presents: The Magic of Color - PANTONEVIEW color Planner Spring/summer 2010, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Stylesight Presents: Women's Color and Trend Forecast Spring/summer 2010, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Fashion IT Seminar (Session 2): Product Development Solutions, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

David Birnbaum Presents: How to do Well in Today's Market, 1:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Sunrise Technologies Presents: Why Microsoft ERP for Apparel Companies, 2:15 pm - 3:00 pm

U.S. Department of Commerce (Office of Textiles and Apparel) Presents: Regional Textile and Apparel Trade Agreements: An Update, 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Susan Power Presents: Sourcing Solutions for Small Manufacturers, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2009
AAFA Presents: STOP! Your Business Depends on Understanding the New Consumer Product Safety Information Act, 9:00 am - 10:30 am

Stylesight Presents: Denim Direction: From Vintage to Spring/summer 2010, 10:30 am - 11:30 am

Material World & Miami International University of Art & Design Present: Today's Designer Business,
11:45 am - 12:45 pm
Technology Solutions Headliner Event
IBM in cooperation with AAFA Present: Get Ready for a Smaller, Flatter, Smarter World, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Fashion IT Seminar (Session 3): Sourcing & Supply Chain Management Solutions, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Promostyl Presents: Spring Summer 2010 Shapes, 2:15 pm -3:15 pm
AAPN Presents: Customers and Factories - Making More by Working Together Directly, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Fashion IT Seminar (Session 4): Logistics & Distribution Solutions, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Strategically timed to showcase Spring/summer 2010 trends, the April 2009 edition of Material World Miami Beach edition once again offers sewn product industry members a one-stop global resource for sourcing, fabric, trim and trends. In addition to the most comprehensive presentation of US domestic and regional providers from throughout the Americas and the Caribbean, the spring 2009 Miami Beach edition will also include a strong international exhibitor base of fabric and trimming suppliers as well as garment manufacturers and representatives from around the globe, including China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, Japan and many more.

New for 2009, Material World will put the spotlight on six new focus categories, including: MW fabric & Trim, MW Source, MW Equip, MW Delivers, MW Performance and MW Green. These categories will be emphasized with the best new product representation, educational programming and special promotions.

In addition, Material World & Technology Solutions West will debut September 30-october 2, 2009 in Los Angeles, CA. Focusing on California's position as a major manufacturing and fashion center, Material World & Technology Solutions West will bring together a broad base of traditional fabric, sourcing, technology and logistics resources.

MATERIAL WORLD/technology SOLUTIONS QUICK FACTS:
Show Dates: Tuesday, April 21 - Thursday, April 23, 2009
Show Hours: Tuesday & Wednesday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Thursday: 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Location: Miami Beach Convention Center, Hall D, 1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Travel: For discounted hotels, call Connections at 800.262.9974 or 404.842.0000
Show Info: For exhibitor or attendee information on Material World, call 678.285.3976
Email: mwinfo@urbanexpositions.com or Website www.material-world.com

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