ATLANTA — March 13, 2015 — The Americas Apparel Producers’ Network (AAPN) will hold its 35th Annual Meeting in a row May 3-5, 2015 at the Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach, Fla.
These are not meetings but rather the continuation of conversations held both face-to-face, in travel, at trade shows and online every day by the over 600 executives from nearly 200 organizations in the AAPN. THE Meeting format is open interaction. More than half the agenda is set aside for networking.
The entire supply chain that overlays the Western Hemisphere attends this forum. Fiber and yarn, fabric and finishing, trim and supplies, shipping and software, factories and logistics, and brands and retailers participate equally.
AAPN is a factory-centric organization led this year by Juan Zighelboim, president, El Salvador-based activewear producer TexOps. In fact, the AAPN has a 2:1 ratio of producers to service members. Participants are often the owners, presidents or senior executives of their firms.
The theme of the meeting this year is specifically STRATEGIC INNOVATION. Speakers include:
Seth Godin, Keynote Speaker
Seth is a world renowned author of marketing and management books, a TED speaker and a widely followed blogger. He will speak on change.
Anastasia Charbin, Worldwide Fashion & Apparel Marketing Director, Lectra
Evolutions of the Market: Product Innovation – an update on fashion and technology trends around the world
James Vatalaro, Productivity, Inc.
Let’s Get Personal … Strategy Innovation and YOU! — How factories and other producers can implement change easily
Johnnie Rush, VP, Retail Innovation, HSN Inc.
The Retail Discussion: Innovation and Engagement – amazing new ways for consumers to order directly instantly
Shawn Neville, President RBIS for Avery Dennison Corp.
Driving Innovation from Consumer Through Supply Chain — How a ‘label’ producer became an innovation company with Nike
In his manifesto, Stop Stealing Dreams, Seth Godin wrote how students today are educated in “….collecting dots. Almost none of it spent teaching them the skills necessary to connect dots. The magic of connecting dots is that once you learn the techniques, the dots can change but you’ll still be good at connecting them.”
Well, Aapn Connected The Dots Starting In 1981 And Was The First Apparel Industry Organization To Implement Email Broadcasts For Sourcing, Answers, Information And Help In 1996. Aapn Is The Author Of A Asia/americas Report Card; The First Ever ‘living Wage’ Project Ever Shared In Our Industry; The Online Denim Map; The Summit Of The Americas; And Other Innovations.
We expect a capacity crowd at the meeting because of the popularity of Seth Godin. Non-AAPN members can contact Mike Todaro or Sue C. Strickland in Atlanta at 404.843.3171 to discuss attending this unique event.
Posted March 17, 2015
Source: AAPN
