Packaging Innovations and Luxury
Packaging London closed its doors on October 1st to record numbers. Over 3,930
visitors, an increase of 10% on last year, 180 exhibitors, 80 product launches,
50 seminars and two new show features all packed into the Business Design
Centre in London to celebrate the most innovative in the world of packaging.
The event, which took place on 30
September & 1 October 2014, witnessed a hugely successful fifth year with
the likes of Johnson & Johnson, Hotel Chocolat, Tommy Hilfiger, Molton
Brown, Harrods and Procter & Gamble walking through its doors. Alison
Church, Event Director for easyFairs’ packaging events, comments:
“The attendance figures are
absolutely spectacular and we couldn’t be more delighted with how this year’s
show turned out. Packaging Innovations and Luxury Packaging combined have truly
established themselves as the exclusive event for branded and inspirational
packaging, attracting world-class visitors, speakers and international
exhibitors from all corners of the globe. Each year to date the show has grown
exponentially, but now with a sold-out venue we are focusing on delivering the
utmost quality of events to both our exhibitors and visitors in the coming
year.”
Maria Almeida, Exports at Leca
Graphics, visiting the show, remarked: “Great show, very well organised, much
bigger than last year with a huge variety of exhibitors. It’s great to see the
luxury side expanding, definitely a packaging show worth attending.”
The sell-out show featured a
packed learnShops programme, with speakers from DHL Supply Chain, Taylors of
Harrogate, Kimberly-Clark, Unilever, Tesco and many other leading brands.
Among the speakers was Stirling
Murray, CEO and Founder of The Red Tree introducing the Beauty Symposium, who
commented: “We are delighted that The Beauty Symposium is back at Packaging
Innovations and Luxury Packaging London for a second year. In such a crowded and
competitive market, anyone launching a beauty brand needs to get the branding
and packaging absolutely right. They need to make their product look
distinctive - and that requires innovation. That's why a visit to the show is
so valuable, it's an incredible way to get a real injection of new ideas and
possibilities."
Also speaking at the show on day
two was Christine Mau, EMEA Design Director at Kimberley-Clark who discussed
the importance of no boundaries – transforming ordinary products into
extraordinary brand experiences. “We are becoming so good at our jobs,
packaging is become formulaic – we need to break the boundaries and think
outside the box. Setting your vision further out will help you reach additional
innovation. You can sit behind the glass and listen to the consumer, but it
will prevent innovation. You learn from consumer research, you win in the
market – Dream, Dare and Dance.”
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Bruce Langlands, Director of Food
at Harrods stated: “Packaging is always overlooked in comparison to the
product, but unless you get the packaging right the product will fail. Every
discussion should start with the consumer, if you think about your customers’
needs you’ll start ticking the right boxes.”
If that wasn’t enough many of the
exhibitors used the show to launch products or services: Solutia Packaging
unveiled its 100% recyclable folding eyewear cases; SACO lifted the lid on its
new Jar Cap range; Airpack Systems its new beer bottle inflatable packaging
solution; Benson Box debuted its revolutionary meal solutions carton packs; and
SERAM launched a service to help its customers decorate shop windows according
to their packaging – the list was never ending!
Stewart Serls, Commercial
Director at Label-form, exhibiting at the show, said: “This is the first time
we have exhibited at Packaging Innovations London and it has been a great way
to celebrate our 50th anniversary, in one day we received 72 potential enquires
from the likes of Harrods, Birds Eye, Games Workshop and Johnson &
Johnson.”
Also exhibiting at the show was
David Lowry, Operations Director at Fleet Luxury who remarked: “It has been
brilliant! It has exceeded all expectations, so many people have come onto the
stand and we’ve made some great contacts. As first time exhibitors we couldn’t
be more delighted.”
Plus the inaugural Drinks
Symposium saw an erudite panel outlining case studies on how original thinking
and creative packaging design can create a strong brand identity and build
desirability, which was a hit with attending brands from the drinks industry.
Speakers featured: Felicity
Murray, Editor of The Drinks Report: Daniel Szor, Owner of the newly opened
Cotswolds Distillery; Craig Mackinley, Founder of Breeze Creative; Stephen
Marshall, Bacardi Global Marketing Director for single malts; and Sharon
Crayton of Ardagh Glass, who commented: “Personalised products have raised the
emotional appeal in the eyes of the consumer. It is a growing phenomenon and
the progress in digital print means it is going to grow even further.”
The show also provided a mass of
interactive show features including the Innovation Gallery showcasing the top
ten packaging innovations at the show, the Marketing & Brand Directors’
Networking Breakfast, the Lions’ Lair competition, and the Packaging
Consultancy Clinic.
A show favourite was The BIG
Packaging Debate, where a large audience gathered to hear a panel of packaging
experts discuss: Is Legislation stopping you innovate?’ This year’s panel,
chaired by Kevin Vyse, Head of IoPP UK, who remarked:
“Currently EEC legislation is a
drag on innovation so in the short term both graphic and structural packaging
is going to have to work harder than ever before; eventually the use of
technology will prevail and smart technology solutions will become normal to
every consumer. In a few years’ time we won’t need to put all this legislation
on the packaging - the technology will be there and change the way we give
consumers the essential information.”
