Southern comfort: the paper recycling industry gathers in Atlanta for the 2005 Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show.

Atlanta may be the home of Coca-Cola, but this June aluminum beverage cans will take a backseat to paper as the dominant secondary commodity as the 2005 Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show visits the Peach State's capital city.

The Hyatt Regency Atlanta will host the conference, now in its sixth year, June 26-28. The three-day event offers attendees a diverse selection of educational programming on current market issues, an exhibit hall with the latest in paper industry related equipment and services as well as extensive networking opportunities.

HIGHER EDUCATION. The 2004 Paper Recycling Conference, also held in Atlanta, hosted 500 paper industry attendees and 41 equipment exhibitors. Attendance for 2005 is already outpacing last year's rate as of late April, according to the Conference Division of GIE Media Inc., Cleveland.

The 2005 programming covers a variety of timely industry topics in the foreign and domestic markets. On the global end, the Keynote Panel will discuss worldwide fiber flow in a session titled "As the World Turns: Fiber Flow Dynamics" Monday, June 27. Bill Moore, president of Moore & Associates, will moderate the panel of three industry experts: Ming Chung Lui of Nine Dragons, Al Metauro of Metro Waste and Ron Thiry of SCA North America.

The panel will address such topics as the expected recovered demand from Asia throughout the next two years, how different regions or types of businesses will respond to the need for increased recovered paper generation and supply and legislative and regulatory issues that could negatively impact the recycled paper industry. The panelists will also discuss the significant increase in new export oriented companies in the market and their possible impact on the industry and how the paper recycling business can be expected to change in the next five years.

Sessions can give attendees the opportunity to keep up to date on current issues as well as to expand their knowledge in segments of the industry that are unfamiliar to them.

Last year's session on procurement impressed first-time attendee Larry Newell of LDI Fibers, Becker, Minn., so much that it was among the top reasons for him to register again in 2005. "It was a huge learning experience for me," Newell says. "I didn't know that much about the procurement end of our business."

This year, moderator Ed Tucciarone, vice president of Eastern sales for Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. and panelists Andrew Bell of Sonoco, Tom Cihlar of Caraustar Recovered Fiber Group, Marc Forman of Georgia-Pacific/Harmon Associates and Colin Johnson of Abitibi Consolidated will lead the annual session titled "Solving the Procurement Puzzle" on June 28.

The panel of veteran mill buyers will share their insights and offer suggestions on how recyclers can make the process of procuring recovered fiber of different grades and quantities as smooth as possible for everyone involved.

The sessions are also a favorite of Greg Prullage of Graphic Packaging, Kalamazoo, Mich. He says they are particularly beneficial for anyone new to the business or with an interest in the export end of the market. "The export sessions are good for a lot of people, especially in the Midwest where we don't get as much exposure to that."

Other session topics include the impact of the secure document destruction industry on the recovered fiber market, examining Asian markets and quality and contamination issues. A full schedule of educational sessions with times and detailed descriptions is available on the conference's Web site at www.Paper RecyclingConference.com.

SHOWING OFF. More than 45 companies are set to exhibit a variety of equipment and services at the 2005 show, covering more than 4,500 square feet of exhibit space.

A distinctive attribute of the exhibit hall at the Paper Recycling Conference that makes it different from many other expos on the trade show circuit is that the hall closes when the educational programming is in session so attendees don't have to sacrifice time in the hall to attend.

Drawing the line between the exhibit hall and the educational programming makes the Paper Recycling Conference a more fulfilling experience for exhibitors as well, allowing them to take advantage of the sessions that are applicable to their business, says Joe Szany of exhibitor NexGen Baling Systems, a division of Marathon Equipment, Vernon, Ala.

Szany says he typically doesn't attend education sessions at many shows because, as an exhibitor, he usually feels his place is in his company's booth, networking and meeting with potential clients. But the Paper Recycling Conference affords him and his staff an opportunity to spend a little time outside of the exhibit hall without hurting business interests. "There are many things that can influence our business--trends in exports, changes in the way a mill is going to look at a bale," he says. "I've made a special point to attend seminars at the Paper Recycling Conference that I think are valuable."

Closing the exhibit hall during selected times of the day also creates opportunities for exhibitors to do business with clients who might not be as comfortable talking deals in the crowded hall, Szany says.

Networking opportunities at the Paper Recycling Conference keep attendees and exhibitors busy inside and outside the exhibit hall.

"If I had to pick one [favorite] thing, it'd be the networking," says Phil Neville, vice president of sales for City Carton Recycling, Iowa City, Iowa. "Everybody's there."

This will be Neville's third time at the Paper Recycling Conference. Six representatives from City Carton will be in attendance, from corporate management to plant managers. Neville says he's confident the show will have something to offer everyone. "You probably can't get this information anywhere else," he says.

RELATED ARTICLE: Up close with OCC.

Attendees have the option to stay for a special post-conference workshop focusing on old corrugated containers (OCC), featuring Bill Moore of Moore & Associates. The newest addition to this year's show, "OCC Close-Up: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Grade," will be June 28-29, also at the Hyatt Regency. A separate registration fee is required.

This post-conference workshop offers an in-depth analysis of the current state of the COO grade and covers the North American and global markets. Topics of discussion include:

* Worldwide COO supply and demand;

* The Asian export market, its effect on pricing and offshore buying characteristics;

* Comparison and analysis of published prices and the actual market and swap pricing; and

* Characterization of U.S. domestic mill demand.

The OCC workshop registration fee is $245 per person or $145 per person with registration to the 2005 Paper Recycling Conference. Additional information on the OCC workshop is available by calling [phone].

RELATED ARTICLE: On the world stage.

The Recycling Today Media Group has announced the launch of the European Paper Recycling Conference, Oct. 35, 2005, at the Hilton Brussels Hotel in Brussels, Belgium.

The European Paper Recycling Conference will offer paper stock dealers, brokers, consumers, mill representatives and equipment and service providers involved in the paper recycling industry the opportunity to discuss the current state of the European recycled paper markets.

Highlights for the European Paper Recycling Conference include:

* Timely, informative educational sessions focusing on current market issues and conditions;

* Panel discussions and roundtables with prominent industry leaders from throughout Europe;

* A display area featuring the latest product and service offerings;

* Extensive networking opportunities to build new contacts and business relationships; and

* A convenient destinations--Brussels.

"We're excited about launching our European Paper Recycling Conference. Since launching the North American event in 2000, it has proven an important forum for the industry to meet and address the many issues that impact recovered fiber availability and quality," says James R. Keefe, publisher of Recycling Today. "By delivering a valuable program and networking opportunities focused on the European market, we're filling a need for the paper manufacturing and recovered fiber industries."

The Confederation of European Paper Industries and the Independent Waste Paper Processors Association are among the European federations supporting the event.

For delegate information on the conference, contact Michelle Fitzpatrick at [e-mail]. For sponsorship and display information, contact Jim Keefe at [e-mail].

The Recycling Today Media Group, a division of Cleveland-based GIE Media Inc., is the publisher of Recycling Today, Construction & Demolition Recycling and Secure Destruction Business magazines, the Paper Recycling Markets Directory and the North American Scrap Metals Directory.

The author is assistant editor of Recycling Today and can be contacted via e-mail at [e-mail].