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UK’s Most Exclusive Packaging Event Hailed Huge Success

  • Packaging Innovations London
Europe, UK, Ireland, England, Active, Smart Packaging, Sustainable Packaging, Sustainable Solutions, Shows, Associations, Media, Packaging Trade Shows, Events

Exhibitors and speakers hailed Packaging Innovations, Luxury Packaging and ADF London’s return to London Olympia this September a huge success, as it celebrated its biggest and busiest edition to date.

Sustainability was top of the agenda, with leading figures from Coca-Cola, Sainsburys, The Packaging Federation and WRAP all taking to the stage for the launch of the Big Plastics Debate 2.0. This interactive discussion, run in association with The Foodservice Packaging Association and OPRL, brought together the brightest minds in the packaging supply chain to tackle the issue of plastic waste in packaging.

The Rt. Hon John Gummer, Lord Deben MP, Chairman of the UK’s Independent Committee on Climate Change, was the Big Plastic Debate’s Keynote speaker.  He discussed ‘Working with Government – How Business Can Drive the Solution to the Plastic Packaging Problem’.

During his talk, Lord Deben stated: “Both packaging and plastic are fundamental parts of our every day lives. People often talk about them not being necessary, and this is simply not true. I think consumers forget that they help keep our products fresher for longer, allow us to put food in the freezer safely and much more. We need to remember that packaging matters, but that we also need to make it work for us, and ensure that it does not destroy the environment. By helping the Government make things simpler we can take a step in the right direction.”  

Continuing the sustainability theme was Simon Boas-Hoffmeyer, Group Sustainability Director at Carlsberg, who spoke about the company’s ‘Snap Pack’ packaging, which has been designed to remove the need for plastic rings or shrink-wrap on its six packs. By simply gluing the cans together, Carlsberg will reduce its plastic usage by up to 76 percent. When fully implemented, this could reduce plastic waste by more than 1,200 tons globally, which is equivalent to eliminating 60 million plastic bags each year.     

New for 2018 and with sustainability still in mind, the show hosted the UK’s first ever Plastic-Free Aisle. This was developed in partnership with A Plastic Planet, which also helped Dutch supermarket Ekoplaza deliver the same concept in Amsterdam earlier this year.

Commenting on the success of the new concept, Frankie Gillard, Changemaker at A Plastic Planet said: “The Plastic-Free Aisle has been phenomenal, with the display attracting over 500 visitors in the first day alone. The cellulose coffee bags and crisp packets have proved particularly popular with hundreds of people enquiring about the technology. Our ‘plastic-free mark’, designed to help consumers identify whether a product’s packaging is 100% plastic-free, has also received an amazing reception from visitors.”

Visitor, Steve Jackson from Addo Food Group commented on this new feature: “The Plastic-Free Aisle has been really interesting and a great addition to this year’s show. It’s been fantastic to discover what alternatives to plastic are available and to see what is possible in this market.”

Talking more widely about the show’s environmental offering, Craig Pope, European Commercial Director at Petainer, said: “I have been really impressed with the sustainability focus at the show this year. Packaging Innovations London is a great way to discover the latest trends in the market and it’s fascinating to hear about the latest developments and innovations in packaging. The show also provides a great opportunity to network and put faces to names. I will definitely be returning next year.”

In another first, Packaging Innovations London 2018 introduced a new partnership with Aerosol Dispensing Forum (ADF), the world’s premier event for the aerosol and dispensing community. This saw the introduction of a dedicated ADF Zone on the show floor, featuring leading suppliers from within the industry. Further developing the show’s offering for the cosmetic industry, ADF also curated a series of seminars, which proved a hugely popular. 

Another hot topic emerging from this year’s show was the role that social media has to play in the design of packaging. Steve Honour, Design Leader at Diageo, argued that the impact packaging will have on social media is vital and must be considered during the design process. “The design of packaging is more relevant now that it ever has been before. If someone told you ten years ago that you would see photos of packaging on social media you wouldn’t have believed them, but we now live in a world where people get just as excited about packaging as they do about the product inside. It is important to understand this and be conscious that we are now designing for the consumer. Social media gives people more access to share their opinions, both good and bad, so it is vital that we get it right and design packaging that is truly impactful for these platforms.”

Paris Camara, former MD of Glossybox, agreed, illustrating in his talk how important packaging is to beauty brand fans and what that means for a company’s digital strategy: “Looking at the top four fragrance brands and their 2017 activity on Instagram, 32 percent of their posts related to packaging. That’s significant, but what’s more important is the interaction - the likes, shares - the things that get a brand in front of a bigger audience. Packaging was the single biggest driver of interaction. At least 50 percent of the engagement with the fragrance brands on Instagram centred around their packaging! That’s why packaging should play a really big part of a company’s digital plans.”

As always, innovation was at the heart of the show, with a host of interactive features available for visitors to get involved with. The Innovation Showcase returned by popular demand, offering packaging professionals an insight into the latest trends and most cutting-edge technologies. The highly anticipated Pentawards Winners’ Exhibit was also hailed as a highlight by visitors, providing the first opportunity in the world to get hands-on with the winning designs from the 2018 Awards, after the conclusion of the Gala ceremony in New York the previous week.

In addition to the interactive content, there was plenty of innovation to be seen, with over half of the exhibiting suppliers launching new products at the show. Highlights included: Aegg Creative Packaging introducing its brand-new range of fully recyclable glassware food pots;Seufert Gesellschaft launching environmentally-friendly alternative to adhesives; Alexir Partnership showcasing new film alternatives to plastic; Keskeny & Co introducing its latest surface treatment technologies; and Inospray presenting Dityspray, a new economical dispensing system for liquid.

Following the successful show, many exhibitors were quick to rebook stands for next year, with 78 percent already confirming their return for 2019.

Samet Olcay, Founder at Olcay Etiket, is one of these: “This is our first time at Packaging Innovations London and we’ve so been impressed with the number of leads we have received. We would usually expect to receive around five quality leads at a show like this, but we had received over 30 by the morning of day two. We will definitely be returning for 2019.”

Another exhibitor who enjoyed a successful show was Bonnie Howard, Manager at Aceville, who said: “Our stand has been extremely busy, and we have had some great leads. We have been to the show previously, but it just gets better every year!”

James Drake-Brockman, Divisional Director of Easyfairs’ Packaging Portfolio, concluded: “It’s been an incredible year. What a fantastic achievement for the whole team! At a time when the industry is under more scrutiny than ever before, it has been great to see everyone pull together to see how and where our sector can improve. We have never seen so much innovation, forward-thinking and inspiring content on show. We are already excited to continue this good work at the NEC show in February.”

The next Easyfairs packaging event will be Packaging Innovations, Label&Print and Empack 2019, which takes place at Birmingham NEC on 27 & 28 February 2019. For anyone interested in exhibiting, more information can be found here or via the show team on +44 (0)203196 4429 or [email protected].

See also

The BIG Plastics Debate puts plastic alternatives under the microscope

Experts from some of the world’s biggest brands, including Carlsberg, LUSH Cosmetics, and Just Eat, will come together at Packaging Innovations and Luxury Packaging London 2019 to debate the industry’s hottest topic – sustainability. With plastic no longer king of the packaging arena, the show’s headline feature will welcome an array of industry experts to discuss the alternatives to traditional plastic and take a critical view of their green credentials.

New show features unveiled for UK’s most exclusive packaging event

Packaging Innovations and Luxury Packaging London 2019 will introduce three new show features when it returns to Olympia on 11 & 12 September – an education initiative, a one-of-kind trend showcase and a zone designed to raise the profile of packaging firms in their infancy. These new features will run alongside a series of returning show favourites to deliver valuable guidance to visitors from every part of the packaging supply chain.

Leaders in luxury packaging join London's most exclusive packaging event

Luxury Packaging London 2019 will celebrate its 10th anniversary when it returns to Olympia on 11 & 12 September, hosted alongside Packaging Innovations. As the UK’s leading luxury packaging event, it will bring together over 180 exhibitors and a dedicated audience of senior buyers, all looking to source the latest in luxury packaging solutions. With consumer concerns over the impact of packaging on the environment continuing to rise, many exhibitors will address the challenge of creating a premium-feeling product with an eco-conscious design.

Seminar programme announced for Packaging Innovations, Luxury Packaging and ADF London

The seminar programme has been announced for Packaging Innovations, Luxury Packaging and ADF London, the capital’s only event dedicated to the primary and secondary packaging industry. Four stages will host some of the leading minds in packaging, design and sustainability in an unprecedented line up featuring brands and retailers including Coca-Cola, Graze, John Lewis, LUSH, Beiersdorf, Church & Dwight, Sainsbury’s, Diageo, Carlsberg, GSK and Hello Day.

UK's most exclusive packaging show announces cutting-edge seminar programme

Diageo, M&S, Lush and Carlsberg are just some of the major names already on board as part of Packaging Innovations and Luxury Packaging London’s free-to-attend seminar programme. The expert sessions, packed with real life stories, advice and innovative ideas, will offer packaging professionals insights into the latest developments, technologies and research when the show returns to London Olympia on 12-13 September 2018.

The UK's most exclusive packaging event introduces its brand new partnership with ADF

Packaging Innovations and Luxury Packaging London, the UK's only prestige and bespoke packaging event, which returns to London Olympia on 12 & 13 September 2018, has unveiled a brand new partnership for 2018 with ADF, the world's premier event for aerosol and dispensing. With successful shows already in New York, Shanghai and Paris, ADF is a leading event dedicated specifically to the aerosol, dispensing, perfume and cosmetic packaging community.

Packaging affects the senses!

It’s official, when it comes to packaging, we have lost our senses. New research suggests that our sense of taste, smell and even feel is directly affected by the packaging a product comes in. In a unique trial, otherwise identical products were rated 35% better overall, simply due to the packaging they were associated with. For instance, perfume was thought to smell 60% nicer and wine tasted 53% better and consumers thought a t-shirt felt 10% more superior, simply if it came in a higher quality pack. The impact of the packaging over senses was so high that people were prepared to pay, on average, nearly three times the price for identical products.

Show stopping features announced for London's most exclusive packaging event

New initiatives and a revamped seminar format will be launched at Packaging Innovations and Luxury Packaging London 2017, which returns to Olympia on 13 & 14 September. The new developments will offer focused seminar sessions for food, drinks, beauty and luxury packaging, as well as a new theatre dedicated to Packaging Design. These will run alongside a series of established show favourites, all offering a powerful and educational programme of interactive features and invaluable advice for the senior decision makers and buyers in attendance.

  • Company News
  • English
  • Modified 16 Sep 2019
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