Smithers Pira to take over management of Prima Conference

Image courtesy: Smithers Pira

Smithers Pira, the worldwide authority on the packaging, paper and print supply chains, today announced it will be taking over the management of the annual Paper and Related Industries Marketing Association (Prima) conference following the association’s dissolution in December 2016.

The conference will move from its traditional May home to a new date in early September. The 48th annual conference will be held at the Mövenpick Hotel in Berlin, Germany on September 6-7 2017.

“Having been involved in the affairs of Prima for many years, both as a council member and as outgoing chairman, it comes as a great relief that a way has been found to keep the name and tradition of Prima going. I look forward to supporting the new venture,” said Ian Murdoch, European Leader, Forest, Paper & Packaging at PWC and former Chairman of the Prima council.

Murdoch and fellow former PRIMA council members including Emanuele Bona from Euro-Graph and Manuela Wagner from Andritz Pulp & Paper will form part of a newly assembled advisory board. Carmen Schoberwalter-Joestl, the former Managing and Executive Director of Prima will continue to provide support to the Smithers Pira team up to and including the running of the 2017 event.

“We have the utmost respect for the PRIMA conference’s long history of bringing together the best in the paper and related industries to share information and network with peers. While we share the industry’s sadness that PRIMA as an association has ceased to exist, we are thrilled to preserve the PRIMA conference’s legacy of excellence,” said Stephen Hill, EU Head of Operations for Smithers Pira. “The conference and association have been expertly managed by Carmen for the last 18 years and we are delighted to have her support and the support of the former PRIMA council members as we work towards the 2017 event. Given our long-term commitment to the print, paper and packaging industries and our reputation for producing high quality events and information products, I believe the PRIMA conference has a natural home within the Smithers event portfolio as we look to continue the evolution of the event for a new generation of industry professionals.”