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SPESA Announcement
The 2024 SPESA Executive Conference, taking place October 8-10, 2024 at the Le Mount Stephen hotel, is coming up soon! Take a look below at some of the confirmed topics and speakers we are most excited to share with our attendees.
Are you a manufacturer, brand, or retailer? SPESA members have a discount code for you!
Reach out to your favorite SPESA supplier or Marie@spesa.org for more info.
Schedule & Agenda
To take advantage of all this event has to offer, attendees should plan to arrive in Montréal by afternoon/early evening of Tuesday, October 8th, and stay through the morning of Friday, October 11th. Please see the tentative event schedule below. All activities are included in the event registration. Spouse tickets include receptions only.
Tuesday, October 8
2-5 p.m. – SPESA Board Meeting (Board members only)
6-7:30 p.m. – Welcome Reception
Wednesday, October 9
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. – Educational Sessions
6-10 p.m. – Evening Reception/Dinner (off-site)
Thursday, October 10
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. – Factory Tours (off-site)
6-7:30 p.m. – Evening Reception
A final agenda with detailed timings will be available shortly. In the meantime, please take a peek at a few of the confirmed topics and speakers we are most excited to share with our attendees!
Motivating High-Performance Results Through Empathetic Leadership
A Keynote Presentation from Apparel and Textile Industry Advisor Krista Schreiber
A Case Study on Revolutionary Sustainability
Rickey Ruff, adidas, Global Nuclear Concepts
Entrepreneur Panel | Getting To Know the Next Generation of Our IndustryWith:
Jessica Ramey, Mercantilia Consulting
Lila Rousselet, Montloup
Michael Mayr, silana
A Fireside Chat with Holli Markwald, CEO of Prairie Wear
A Conversation on Manufacturing in Canada and North America
Featuring Cansew Inc. on the 100th anniversary of its Canadian operations
A Panel Discussion on Advancements in Textile Technology
With:
Justine Decaens, CTT Group
Sam Colby, Sheertex
A Backstage Pass to the Inner Workings of the Cirque du Soleil Costume Workshop
An Interactive Discussion on the Evolving Business Cases for Technology and How It Drives ROI
Led by SPESA members Aptean and Lectra
Factory Tours
The 2024 SPESA Executive Conference grants attendees the opportunity to not only discuss the important topics surrounding sewn product manufacturing in North America, but to see it in action! The conference includes a full day of factory tours around Montréal. See below for a look at some of stops we can't wait to share with you!
All Cirque du Soleil costumes are custom-made and the majority are produced at the Costume workshop at the International Headquarters. The workshop, the only one of its kind in North America, employs specialists in shoemaking, textile design, lace-making, wig-making, patternmaking, costume-making, and millinery.
INNOTEX is an innovative manufacturer of turnout gear, Tech Rescue gear, Energy gear, Airflow 3D Technology, and more. The company's craft and Canadian facility goes back more than a century. In the late 1960s, the company became the outerwear division of Bombardier Recreational Products. And then, after more than 20 years of manufacturing extreme sports outerwear, winter sports, and football protective equipment, the transition began to FR industrial and military protective apparel in the mid-1980s. Eventually, a new management team decided to merge the know-how of extreme sports and fire retardants for industrial and military use in the designing and manufacturing of apparel. Its mission: to continuously innovate through textile.
CTT Group (a Collegial Centre for Technology Transfer at the Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe) is a non-profit organization specializing in applied research, development, and analysis in the field of technical textiles, geosynthetics, and advanced textile-based materials. CTT Group supports the growth of companies in the textile industry and geosynthetics through technical services, research and development, and expertise in product innovation and improvement, promoting sustainable development. CTT Group also contributes to the overall development of the industry by supporting initiatives related to workforce renewal. CTT Group is therefore an essential driver of innovation at the heart of a constantly evolving industry.
The factory tours, and all conference educational and networking events, are included in your registration!
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