There will be so much to see and do at the eagerly anticipated Label & Packaging Expo and its co-located events PacPrint 2021 and the Visual Impact Expo, to be held in Melbourne at the end of the June. Here’s what visitors to the show can expect.
The eagerly anticipated Label & Packaging Expo and its co-located events PacPrint 2021 and the Visual Impact Expo will set the stage for the industry’s leading suppliers to showcase their innovations at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from 28 June to 1 July.
As one of the first post-Covid industry expos, this second iteration of the Label & Packaging Expo is one of the most eagerly anticipated ever, with a host of new products expected to debut following more than two years without industry expos.
Peter Harper, CEO of Visual Connections, the supplier organisation which both organises and co-hosts the event with the Print & Visual Communications Association, says the Label & Packaging Expo provides an ideal opportunity for businesses from Australia, New Zealand and the surrounding region to catch up with the latest international trends, see where the market is heading, and gather important information and ideas to help them capitalise on new opportunities in this new age.
The show is set to cover everything from MIS and software, to flexo, digital and hybrid label printing and converting technologies; finishing and embellishment; flexible packaging; security, product verification and anti-counterfeiting solutions; sustainable substrates, stocks and materials; and barcoding, product identification and track-and-trace solutions.
LEADING SUPPLIERS UNDER ONE ROOF
At the time of going to press, Harper said there were more than 80 exhibitors already signed up for the combined show, which will cover some 7000m2 of space at the MCEC, including the largest stall holder, Currie Group, whose showcase will include the HP Indigo 6K Digital Press for high-speed digital label and packaging projection, ABG Digicon Lite 3 digital label finishing machine and other, yet-to-be-announced innovations.
Other big names including Aeronaut Engineering, Canon Production Printing, Epson, Fujifilm Business Innovation, Graffica, HP, Kodak, Kongsberg, Konica Minolta, Minipack International, Paper Handling Equipment (PHE), Rebul Packaging, Rodden Graphics, Screen GP Australia, Trimatt, Xeikon, and others, rounding out an extensive showcase of print, converting and finishing solutions.
There will be plenty of solutions in workflow and software, with names like Print IQ, Esko Graphics, Quote & Print, Dflow, M-Power, Soltect, and colour management through Colour Graphic Services, while media and consumables will be covered by leading names including Allkotes, Ball & Doggett, Bottcher Systems, Kodak, Label Line, Spicers and others.
Visitors will also be able to access a range of business services from providers including Ecolease, Ascent Partners and Finance@Work, and explore the resources and connections provided by industry associations including the FPLMA, PVCA and TRMC, LIA and others.
With the value of ‘time spent on the business rather than time spent in the business’ well established over the years, the challenge for time-strapped businesses owners is simply to get maximum return on the investment from their visit, says Harper, advising visitors that planning is the key, and that they should to start review the information and floorplan on the PacPrint website, prior to visiting the show.
“Work out which stands you want to visit, then contact those suppliers to lock in meeting or demo times,” Harper he says. “Factor in any seminars you want to attend, and make sure you leave time to explore more unfamiliar companies, as it’s often the unexpected discoveries which can prove to be game-changers.”
MARKET INFORMATION AND INSIGHTS
“This brings us to the perennially popular PacPrint Forum Series of seminars which help put the exhibition in context by highlighting the latest global trends and providing important ideas, information and insights,” says Harper.
He believes that the 2021 program will have plenty to interest label and packaging businesses, including a keynote session from Rowena Curlewis, CEO of leading drinks design specialist, Denomination, who will share her global insight, passion and knowledge in a session addressing the move towards sustainability in drinks, how market demand is changing, and how innovation is driving progress in beverage packaging.
Other sessions will cover industry trends and opportunities, business planning, small business employment, how people give your business an edge, and how to optimise workflow and automation to maximise profits.
Visitors can get ‘top tips’ for success from industry experts, listen in on exciting ‘fireside chats’ with some of the print and graphic communications sector’s most influential leaders, and come away with valuable skills to improve their sales performance, meet their customers’ demands for more sustainable solutions, and look after the mental health of their colleagues, families and friends.
IDEAL TIMING
All this, Harper says, is also ideally timed to help businesses capitalise on new opportunities.
“We’ve seen print work has been flowing back to Australia during the pandemic with customers recognising the value of reliable local supply,” he points out. “Optimising production is vital to create extra capacity and provide the flexibility to diversify in the most profitable way.
“At the same time, Covid, and the more recent crisis in the Ukraine, has put supply chains under stress and, with lead times on equipment, systems and many consumable items blowing out significantly, businesses need to be prepared.
“Where we used to look six or 12 months ahead, we now need to plan one, two or even five years into the future,” Harper says.
“Having said that, now is a great time to invest in new solutions, with rising energy costs making newer, more energy efficient systems well worth a look, and the soaring cost of petrol and transport giving businesses a compelling reason to invest in the capability to keep total production in-house.”
Harper says that Australian businesses can take advantage of the government’s instant asset write-off which continues until 30 June, and with the show straddling the end of financial year, investments can (with some caveats) be structured into either the 2021/22 or 2022/23 financial year.
“While those advantages don’t apply everywhere, the cost of borrowing across the entire region is still almost as cheap as it has ever been and, with interest rates set to continue their rise, locking in today’s rate on loans could be a wise move,” he explains.
“Again, suppliers and service providers at the show will be able to help visitors forecast, identify trends, evaluate potential investments, and advise on shipping times, stock holdings and finance options, so businesses can plan with confidence.”
RECONNECT WITH YOUR INDUSTRY
“After more than two years of travel and gathering restrictions, perhaps the most anticipated aspect of the show will be the opportunity to reconnect with industry colleagues and friends and, here again, there will be plenty of opportunities,” says Harper.
On 29 June, the show will stay open until 8pm to give businesses an extra opportunity to visit ‘out of hours’, with drinks and canapés served on the show floor. The following day will see the Women in Print Breakfast held in the morning and the 39th National Print Awards will be celebrated at a glittering Awards Dinner held at the Goldfields Theatre at the MCEC in the evening.
“It’s been too long since we were able to gather as an industry, and I know that print, label and packaging professionals from across the region are very much looking forward to the chance to review, rebuild and reconnect in Melbourne,” he says.
The Label & Packaging Expo will co-locate with PacPrint and Visual Impact at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from 28 June to 1 July, 2022.
This article was published in the May-June 2022 print issue of PKN Packaging News, p32.
