If you want to acquire essential education to excel in the global card manufacturing industry, stay connected to industry peers, increase visibility for your company and grow professionally, consider attending the ICMA EXPO 2024. This in-person event is scheduled for May 13-16 at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld^® in Orlando, Florida. International Card Manufacturers Association (ICMA), the leading global card association for card manufacturers and personalizers, selected Onward! Future-Proof Your Card Strategy as the theme.

“The theme represents the current state of the card manufacturing industry,” said Jeffrey Barnhart, ICMA founder and executive director. “In the face of industry disruption at every angle, including digital cards, mobile wallets and AI to name a few, the global card industry continues to move adeptly into the future. Some examples are innovation in biometrics, security features, personalization and user experience.”

Barnhart continues, “The ICMA EXPO 2024 is the card industry’s unique one-stop shop for learning about the latest trends and technologies that are advancing tomorrow’s tomorrow.”

Here are five reasons to attend the ICMA EXPO 2024:

1. Comprehensive educational program: Discover the latest card industry topics and trends, insights and solutions from leading experts—through a diverse educational program with presentations and panel discussions—to drive profitability and innovation within your organization.

• Networking at its best: Connect with industry thought leaders, peers and experts in the field through speed networking with exhibitors, evening outdoor networking receptions, a themed Élan Awards dinner, golf and more. Plus, enhance strategic business relationships. Global card industry participation will include card manufacturers, personalizers, suppliers, issuers and consultants.

• Exhibits and sponsorships: Elevate visibility, increase sales and acquire new customers by taking advantage of these opportunities. There will be an exhibition of 50+ leading card industry suppliers showcasing equipment, materials, card components and services. Interested in exhibiting? Contact Nicole Lauzon.

• ICMA Élan Awards: Be the first to find out the 2023 Élan Awards of Excellence winners at the ceremony. The award categories include Feature Cards, Secure Payment Cards, Loyalty, Promotional and Gift Cards, ID Cards, Access Control Cards, Unique Innovation, Personalization & Fulfillment (Product, Service or Project), Best Supplier/Vendor for a New Product, Service or Innovation, Unique Component Supplier and the People’s Choice.

• New ICMA EXPO track: Tailored toward plant personnel, Production 360 brings the card manufacturing lifecycle full circle. It will be uniting general managers, engineers, designers and other card plant personnel with industry innovators, leading-edge technology providers and supplier partners for networking opportunities and educational presentations to help solve plant challenges and move card manufacturing forward. Make the most of your attendance by packaging it with Advanced Card Education-Manufacturing (ACE-M) training and certificate program.

To learn more about the latest trends in the global card industry and to network, register to attend the ICMA EXPO 2024.

More Insights on Card Trends

For more than 30 years, ICMA has represented the interests of the card manufacturing industry—which includes manufacturers, personalizers, issuers and suppliers—as its leading global association.

In response to consumer and card issuer demand for green transaction and identification cards, the ICMA EcoLabel Standard Program provides a determination of the environmental performance of a manufacturer’s cards through a third-party ecolabeling certification program. Manufacturers can become EcoLabel Program licensees to showcase their support of sustainability initiatives. Licensees can also offer clients a valuable EcoLabel opportunity for cards that meet established criteria in the following categories: reduced materials, recycled content, compostable and biobased content.

ICMA offers regular educational opportunities, including ACE-Manufacturing, ACE-Personalization and ACE-Advanced Technologies trainings and exams at the ICMA EXPO. ICMA also offers virtual ACE-Commercial training, which provides sales, marketing, customer service and other key personnel at ICMA member companies with the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of card manufacturing.

Learn more about the benefits of ICMA membership.