Coca-Cola, Dixons Carphone, Carlsberg, Wrap, and Britvic are just some of the big names in packaging taking to the stage at Packaging Innovations 2020 when it returns to Birmingham’s NEC on 26 & 27 February.
Two new seminar stages will make their debut at the show; The Design Innovation Stage and the Printing, Packing and Fulfilment Stage, will take place alongside established educational features to address the key issues faced by industry professionals throughout the packaging supply chain.
Design Innovation Stage
The Design Innovation Stage will offer advice on how brands can bridge the gap between design and technical production to bring abstract concepts to life, as well as overcoming key challenges, including aiding accessibility and sustainability.
Design for online retail will be explored during a panel discussion on day one. At a time when food delivery apps, such as Just Eat, are experiencing rapid growth but packaging concepts favoured by fast-food brands remain better suited for collection, leading experts will explore the role of pack designers in moving these rapid growth markets forward, in an area where traditional retail constraints don’t apply. Joining the panel will be thought leaders from Sustainable Design Alliance, Tim Horse Design, CommonVC, and Elmwood Leeds.
Created by TerraCycle, the Loop system hit headlines last year as a unique solution to aid consumers in cutting down on waste by reusing containers. This new solution will be analysed on day-two of the show when James Pryor, Co-Founder & Creative Director at Touch, discusses the process of creating a reusable concept for leading brand Häagen-Dazs.
The stage will also welcome thought-leaders from Dixons Carphone, Neil Farmer Associates, and Imperial College London, to explore themes including the packaging materials of the future, aiding the circular economy in FMCG sectors, and the challenge of designing packaging without plastic.
Printing, Packing and Fulfilment Stage
The newly designed Printing, Packing and Fulfilment Stage will put all aspects of the packaging supply chain in the spotlight when it welcomes dedicated forums for the labelling, printing, fulfilment, and logistics sectors.
Flexo will take centre stage when Jo Stephenson, Director at PHD Marketing, and Chris Tonge, Director at Ultimate Packaging, discuss the ongoing success of personalisation and how it can benefit brands’ packaging.
Automation will also be discussed as experts from Reeco and XPO Logistics explore how innovation can accelerate the manufacturing and distribution process and how value-added services can be leveraged to better serve today’s customer needs.
The seminar programme will also explore the impact of the growth that e-commerce has had on the logistics sector, as well as which segments of the print for packaging market are ideal for diversification.
Ecopack Stage
Elsewhere at the event, sustainability will be the focus of the Ecopack Stage when the BIG Carbon Debate makes its debut. During the two-day seminar, packaging pioneers from global brands including Coca-Cola, Wrap, and OPRL, will explore the damaging impact of carbon on the environment. The feature aims to move the sustainability conversation forward by offering a holistic view of the issue of sustainability and offering insights into how collaboration throughout the supply chain can create packaging that is truly eco-friendly.
Industry Forums Stage
Sector-specific insights will also be on offer on the Industry Forums Stage as it hosts curated content for the food, drinks, beauty, e-commerce, retail, beauty and pharmaceutical industries. Topics of discussion will include how design can be leveraged to aid sustainability in the drinks sector, balancing stand-out aesthetics with recyclability in beauty, and how packaging can adapt to the new retail landscape.
Victoria Blake, Event Director of Easyfairs’ UK Packaging Portfolio, comments: “Our seminar programme offers visitors a chance to hear from a cross-section of the packaging industry, bringing together leading names from across the supply chain. As the UK’s largest meeting place for packaging professionals, the show offers the perfect environment for visitors to discover new ideas and forge collaborations to further the capabilities of their packaging.”
