The BIG Packaging Debate returned to the show
Packaging Innovations London is reporting record visitor and exhibitor numbers for the fourth year running, a trend that has continued since its launch in 2010. The show attracted world class speakers, international exhibitors from all corners of the globe and 3,560 visitors, breaking last year’s record attendance with an increase of 18%.
With visiting companies including the likes of Waitrose, Fabergé, Diageo, Disney, Coca-Cola, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Glaxo Smith Kline, Estée Lauder, Harrods, Ted Baker, Mars, Unilever and Space NK, exhibitors were delighted with the buzz and serious purchasers at the show, 75% of them already having rebooked their stand for 2014.
Particularly successful was the expanded Luxury Packaging show, with inspiring prestige packaging on display; many of the exhibitors have already doubled their stand space, with the floorplan expanding for the next year.
Launch pad
The show focused on four key areas, Packaging Innovations, Luxury Packaging, Brand & Design Village, and Contract Pack. 80% of the 170 exhibitors used the event to launch or show new products and services. tesa was a first time exhibitor and had come specifically to promote its new Lift & Reseal reclosure system for flexible packaging. This new solution for resealing packaging has been developed for a large retailer which asked the company to come up with a new way of ensuring the reclosure of food packs for its home baking and snack pack ranges. The tape can be supplied as stock or custom printed for each customer and will reseal the pack up to 20 times. RCS was on stand to show its range of personalised gift packaging while a number of label printers showed their products. These included Abbey Labels, OPM (Labels & Packaging) Group and Royston Labels.
YRG Group was at the show for the second year running to present its sample pack and digital mock up solutions, along with its other prepress services. This complete offering means that the company can get involved with projects from initial design concept through to printed packaging for all packaging formats and all print processes.
A regular exhibitor, Esko showed its integrated software products for the packaging and labels industry, and demonstrated its visualising software to visitors. Impression Technology Europe is the distributor of the Rapid X Label systems, and it also demonstrated the Eclipse LF3 cutter/slitter fresh from its launch at Labelexpo the week before.
Theatricals
The sell out show, which took place 1 and 2 October 2013, also featured a packed learnShops programme, with speakers from Neal’s Yard Remedies, Miracle-Gro, Marks & Spencer, Kimberly-Clark, Bombay Sapphire and many other leading and interesting brands. Topics included the future of food labelling requirements, the future of packaging and trends, brand colour management using PantoneLive and nanographic printing.
There was also plenty of show floor ‘theatre’ in the form of The BIG Packaging Debate, where a panel of packaging professionals, including Innocent Drinks and Marks & Spencer, discussed the topic, ‘Online sales will kill packaging design’. Chairing the debate was Kevin Vyse from the Institute of Packaging Professionals UK, who concluded, ‘People are better digitally connected than ever before.
Online sales are nothing new, and it is clear from this debate that the move online won’t kill design, but until someone steps up and says this is how it should be done, this debate will continue.’
Alison Church, event director, commented, ‘We couldn’t be more delighted; every area of the show was heaving throughout both days, and the feedback from visitors and exhibitors has been incredible.
The response to the show, and in particular the Luxury Packaging element, has been phenomenal, making it very much the place where all those involved in branding, design, product marketing and inspirational packaging meet each year; which has resulted in very happy exhibitors, with 75% rebooking onsite for the 2014 show. We’ll be back next year, with plans to expand the floor plan, show features, and speaker line up!’ Packaging Innovations London will be return to the Business Design Centre, on 30 September and 1 October 2014.
