The current challenges facing the global wipes business, ranging from the instability of raw materials to the environmental ‘friendliness’ of finished products, will be the focus of the upcoming World of Wipes (WOW) International Conference, set for June 14–16, 2011 at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia.

The full agenda for the event, which annually attracts hundreds of participants from the wipes supply chain, provides three days of educational seminars, networking and the presentation of the prestigious WOW Innovation Award that will recognize and reward industry members who bring new and value-added processes and products to the wipes’ marketplace. WOW is organized by INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, and the agenda is put together by a volunteer group of industry professionals.

Kicking off the 2011 WOW International Conference will be a highly informative session on Worldwide Markets. Presentations will be offered by Ian Bell of Euromonitor International (the Global Market); Rory Holmes, INDA (North America); David Chammah, David Industria E Comercio de Productos Higienicos (South America); Minru Zhu, China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association (China); and Heidi Beatty, Nice-Pak/PDI (Europe).

Another WOW highlight will be a panel discussion on the Instability of the Raw Material Market. The panel will include Jon Devine, Cotton Incorporated; Karen Jones, CMAI; David Adkins, Lenzing; and Brad Kalil, TerraChoice MSI.

 In a topical session on Issues & Threats, INDA’s Jessica Franken will provide attendees with a review of recent government actions in a presentation called Avoiding a Policy Wipe Out. Also in that session, Chris Kent, an attorney at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, will tell attendees, What You Should Know about Patents and Developments in Patent Law.

The second day of WOW kicks off with an enticingly labelled session on Boogers & Branding: Two Case Studies. In it, Julie Pickens, of Little Busy Bodies, and Dan Meyer, Nehemiah Manufacturing, will present case studies on two new wipes that have achieved success in a crowded market.

Other sessions at WOW include What’s New?, featuring presentations from equipment and raw material suppliers to the wipes industry; When It All Goes Down the Tube, a look at the environmental and safety impact of wipes; and Environmental Friendliness, featuring presentations on sustainability, waste reduction, natural products, and biodegradable wipes.

One of the highlights of WOW will once again be the presentation of the annual WOW Innovation Award. Created to encourage innovative processes and products anywhere along the wipes’ value chain, the WOW Innovation Award is open to all nonwoven fabric manufacturers, raw material and packaging suppliers, converters and end-product producers. Finalists will make presentations on their nominated product and then WOW attendees will vote on the recipient of the 2011 WOW Innovation Award.