LOUPE Americas 2026 (Chicago, September 15 to 17) lists 45 sessions and 65 speakers across two tracks: the paid Insights & Education program in Rooms 12/13 and 14, and the free Spotlight Stage on the show floor. Not one session title contains the word "color." That is not a gap in the program; it reflects where the industry conversation sits in 2026: AI, automation, workforce and extended producer responsibility.
Color control runs underneath all four of those themes. Below is a selection of sessions we would attend if we were walking the floor with a print quality hat on, organized by day, with why each matters to a converter running flexo. Times and speakers are taken from the official schedule as of late August 2026; check the live program before you go.
Tuesday, September 15
Packaging trends that will define the next decade (10:00 AM, Room 12/13, paid). Lauren Ryder of Mintel and Chelsea McDougall of Labels & Labeling open the show. Brand owner expectations are where color tolerances get written; this is the session that tells you what those expectations will look like.
How AI is Rewiring Packaging Manufacturing (12:30 PM, Room 14, paid). A converter (Resource Label), a software vendor (HiFlow) and an AI consultancy (Aurum Intelligence) on the same panel. Listen for how much of the "AI" discussed depends on clean measurement data from the press. Without a reliable input signal, there is nothing to learn from.
Ink & Coatings for Recycle-Ready Labeling (1:00 PM, Spotlight Stage, free). Siegwerk on recycle-ready ink systems. Every ink reformulation shifts the color gamut and the press behavior; converters who measure inline see that shift on the first job instead of the first complaint.
AI in Action: Practical Implementation (2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, Room 12/13, paid). A two-hour workshop. Useful if you are building a data strategy for the plant and want to know what to instrument first.
Wednesday, September 16
Digital Inkjet Embellishments and Hot & Cold Foil for Roll-to-Roll (8:00 AM and 8:30 AM, Room 12/13, free). Early, free, and practical. Embellishment is where flexo converters are adding margin in 2026.
From Production to Shelf: Zero-Error Packaging (11:00 AM, Spotlight Stage, free). GlobalVision's Dawson Spooner on proofing and inspection workflows. This is the closest the program gets to a pure quality session. Worth noting the distinction between content inspection (is the text and barcode right?) and color measurement (is the spot color within tolerance?). They are different problems with different tools.
A Guide to GS1 Sunrise 2027 Compliance (11:15 AM, Room 12/13, paid). Transparency by Amazon on the 2D barcode transition. Not a color topic, but a compliance deadline that every label converter will be asked about by customers within the year.
Hidden Cost of Disconnected Operations (11:30 AM, Spotlight Stage, free). ePS on MIS and workflow integration. The same argument applies to color data: measurements that live on a handheld device and never reach the MIS are a disconnected operation.
Collaborating Through EPR (12:45 PM, Room 12/13, paid). Extended producer responsibility schemes are live in several US states and the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation applies from August 2026. Waste reduction on press, including makeready waste, is becoming a reportable number rather than a nice-to-have.
SGP Certification: Competitive Advantage (2:30 PM, Spotlight Stage, free). Sustainable Green Printing Partnership certification. If your sustainability story includes "less waste per job," you will need measurement data to back it.
UV-LED Low-Migration Inks & Coatings (3:00 PM, Spotlight Stage, free). Sun Chemical's Dr. David Biro. Low-migration ink systems for food and pharma labels behave differently on press; another case where inline spectral data shortens the learning curve.
Thursday, September 17
The 90% Problem: Unlocking AI Potential (11:30 AM, Spotlight Stage, free). JC McKay of the Flexo Label Advantage Group. The title refers to the share of AI pilots that never reach production. Expect a candid session on what it actually takes.
Future of Packaging Waste: Circularity (12:30 PM, Spotlight Stage, free). Mike Ferrari of the Consortium for Waste Circularity closes the sustainability thread.
How to use this list
Paid sessions require a conference pass; Spotlight Stage sessions are free with a visitor badge. Pricing and deadlines are on the official site. If you only have one day, Wednesday has the densest program for quality and compliance topics.
We publish a recap after the show with what changed in the color control conversation. Subscribe to Veoria Insights to receive it.
