Posted February 18, 2015

 

Now that I have your attention, I’d like to cover a topic not often discussed outside of planning committee meetings: themes. Certainly, you’re familiar with the “Fifty Shades” craze, especially now that the movie adaptation of the book trilogy of the same name is, well, spanking its competitors in theaters these days. Honestly now, such pap isn’t my cup of tea. But every time I hear that name, I can’t help but think of the American Association of Textile Chemists & Colorists (AATCC) – a group whose members seem more than likely to be interested in every dye formula and compositional mix required to create these silvery hues. Battleship grey, gunmetal grey, slate grey – and virtually every other variance of platinum you can make.

 

Which brings us to the subject of themes. Wouldn’t it be cool (but unorthodox) for the AATCC to title its upcoming International Conference in Savannah, Ga., “Fifty Shades of Grey?” It would be different – and an attention grabber. Such a meeting theme would definitely be the headline in every article covering the event on these pages. Not digging it? Oh, well – that’s me just trying to be helpful.

 

Through the years, I’ve seen meeting, conference and speech themes of every stripe at textile-related events. Some are straight to the point, though … how do we delicately say this? … a little humdrum. Sure, “A Whole New World,” “Service with Integrity through Times of Change” and “Global Strategies and Market Choices” are all intriguing titles and turned out to be worthwhile meetings or presentations. But it’s hard to draw ’em in on title alone. Some, which I dug up from the archives, are direct and lengthy but still a tad bland. To wit: “Strategies for Post-2005: How Some Hosiery Companies Have Not Only Survived, but Thrived in New World Markets.” And: “Solutions and Opportunities in the Yarn-Spinning Process, Created Through the Effect of Core Yarn Applications.”

 

But for every “Challenges Facing the Industry” theme, I’ve seen a good number of clever ones over the years. In 2007, the Synthetic Yarn and Fiber Association (SYFA) hosted a “Sustainable Is Attainable” conference. That same year, the Southern Textile Association (STA) came up with “Flat Rules – Creating a Level Playing Field in a Flat World.” And how could you stay on your duff if you had a chance to attend a meeting titled “Keeping Your Balance as the World Turns Faster” (National Textile Association, 2006)? Speaking of the now-defunct NTA, it also dreamed up “Free Trade For US” for its 2003 annual meeting, providing nice play on the word “US,” as in “we” and “U.S.”

 

And speakers have composed some of the most creative titles I’ve seen. Most recently, Mike Collins, president of The Perfect Workday Company, presented a mini-seminar titled, “Time to Change! You Go First!” during the STA’s Winter Technical Seminar in January. And Brad Beal of Jockey International dubbed his presentation for STA’s 2006 Marketing Forum, “Is

Fifty Shades of Grey