Madrid will be the first city to host the exhibition of some of the best packaging designs in the world, which will be shown on November 13 and 14 at Packaging Innovations (IFEMA), the annual reference fair for the sector. These are the winning works of the latest edition of the Pentawards. Among them, are the Microsoft package for the Xbox Adaptative Controller, which has obtained the Diamond Pentaward, and designs for other major brands such as Xiaomi, Henessy or Pepsico.

The Pentawards, the most prestigious awards in the world in the field of packaging, began in 2007 in order to value the work of designers and present their best proposals across 5 categories: food, drinks, products body care, luxury and other products. They are awarded annually and this year there have been more than 2,000 applications from 54 countries on five continents.

Register to attend Packaging Innovations Madrid

As Raquel Carboneras, director of Packaging Innovations, points out, “those who visit the event will have a unique opportunity to see the best of design and packaging internationally, as well as discover the experience and viewpoints of well known names within the sector.”

The best success stories at the Pentawards Conference

Packaging Innovations will bring together several of the winners of the Pentawards and design and packaging gurus around the Pentawards Conference. On the first day of the fair, on November 13, Enrique Moreno, CEO of Cabello x Mure - an award-winning study in the Food category - will talk about “Packaging and trends, the value of emotions”. Next, Steve Honor, from Diageo UK, will address the role of design as a tool to connect with the consumer.

In the afternoon, Gonzalo Jaén, creative director and CEO of Digital Fish, a firm that has received a Sliver Pentaward in the beverage category, will address the importance of updating the packaging.

On the 14th, Javier Bidezabal, Johana Dueñas and Eduardo España, from Auriga, will open the session with the presentation “Experiences of unboxing”. This studio has just received a Platinum Pentawards, the highest distinction after the Diamond Pentaward. After his intervention, it will be the turn of Nacho Lavernia, confounder of Lavernia & Cienfuegos, who has obtained a Silver Pentaward. His presentation, "The popularization of luxury", will deal with the evolution of the design of perfume products in the large distribution, to offer consumers the attributes of luxury but at affordable prices.

Two other Pentawards winners, Marc Morillas, from Morillas Branding Agency, and Beatriz Suárez and Miguel Ángel del Baño, from Estudio Maba, will put the finishing touch to the morning conferences with their presentations “Packaging: know your winning horse” and "The designer as an ally."

The next packaging: ecological, intelligent and interactive

Visitors to Packaging Innovations, which will be held jointly with Empack, Label & Print and Logistics & Distribution, will know all the news of a sector that is undergoing an intense transformation as a result of the emergence of electronic commerce, the growing concern for the environment and sustainability, and new consumer habits.

This is reflected in the “Trends Packaging 2019” study, conducted by the CoolHunting consultancy for Packaging Innovations that shows a growing interest of buyers for degradable and recyclable packaging, and for those that incorporate qualities that extend the life of the products.

Another trend that is gaining ground is that of smart packaging - which, for example, informs about the state of its content or warns the consumer of when it is necessary to replace it - and interactive packaging, which allows customization or connection With social networks.
In the field of design there is a strong tendency to reflect pride in the local packaging, presenting it as close and authentic and as a differential value in an increasingly globalized world.

Also trending is "Mysticism on demand", with messages based on slow consumption, on healthy and spirituality. And the so-called Net Art, -popular with millennials- that incorporates aesthetic references to virtual and computer design programs.