Being a self-professed exhibition junkie, I was lucky enough to attend not one but two shows in September – Luxury Packaging London 2015 and Labelexpo Europe 2015. Given the close connection between the packaging and label markets, I thought I’d share some views and impressions on the two shows.
Luxury Packaging is the UK’s only event covering packaging for premium brands and has doubled in size since its launch in 2009, with approximately 4,000 visitors registered this year. Held at Olympia London on 17th September, the show saw a host of companies display their colourful and innovative designs for a variety of industries – retail, confectionery and A LOT of spirits – proving yet again that packaging is an essential component in promoting and establishing brand identity.
There was also a series of insightful seminars hosted throughout the show, where attendees could listen to editors and industry spokespeople discuss hot topics currently affecting the packaging sector. For example, the Drinks Symposium invited drink brands to discuss the role that packaging design plays in helping to create a brand image, while the Great Innovation debate pondered that all important question that haunts even the most astute of marketing wizards: how do we define innovation? All in all, a small but no less riveting show that merits re-visiting and that I even heard mentioned in the same breath as the daddy of luxury packaging shows, LuxePack.
For the next exhibition, a little trip across the Channel was in order. Marking its 35th anniversary, Labelexpo Europe was held yet again at Brussels’ historical Palais des Expositions from 29th September to 2nd October and welcomed 35,759 visitors, marking a 12.4% growth in attendance since the 2013 event. These figures were definitely reflected on the ground – I was left with a feeling that the exhibition was getting busier by the day, as I navigated the bustling crowds, trying to get from one stand to another.
Digital was easily the star of the show. In fact, you couldn’t throw a stone without hitting some form of digital printing technology; it has made its mark on the industry and refuses to let go. It was also interesting to see how labels are increasingly sharing the spotlight with packaging, so to witness a further integration between these two markets at future shows would not be out of the question.
Labelpaxpo? You heard it here first!
Did you attend either of these events? Let us know your thoughts below!