With seven months to go before the staging of the inaugural Australian Processing & Packaging Expo (APPEX) at the MCEC in Melbourne on 12-15 March, show organiser Exhibitions & Trade Fairs says the show is close to being sold out.
APPEX has evolved from the highly popular AUSPACK event, which had a 35-year standing in the industry, to deliver an all-of-industry encompassing event, engaging and representing the entire processing and packaging industry. According to Mark Dingley, chairman of show owner APPMA, APPEX will be Australasia’s largest event for the processing and packaging sector – a show "developed by the industry for the industry".
"The show will inspire manufacturers to innovate by experiencing world class equipment, new technologies and exchanging ideas. APPEX is a premium expo that represents the entire sector; machinery, ancillary equipment, materials and packaging, food processing, and IT and industry services," he said.
APPEX is slated to be twice the size of its predecessor AUSPACK, which was last staged in 2022 and drew a record number of Australian exhibitors for the show (210), and over 8000 visitors – a good result considering the show was put on shortly after pandemic restrictions lifted. Of those visitors, 83 per cent were responsible for or influence, purchasing decisions.
In 2022, AUSPACK attracted key decision makers from Australia’s leading manufacturers, with 94 per cent of attendees saying they were satisfied, or very satisfied, with their visit to AUSPACK 2022, and 80 per cent stating they would definitely
return.
Visitors included representatives from all major food and beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, home care and DIY product manufacturing sectors.
One of the major exhibitors that will occupy significant stand space at APPEX 2024 is Multivac, whose core expertise lies in packaging machines and packaging technology; automation solutions and processing technology; labelling and inspection systems, portioning and slicing – and, since the takeover of the Fritsch Group – bakery technology as well.
Multivac responded positively to the launch of APPEX, with Andrew Hutchison, managing director of Multivac Australia, saying, "As a supplier of both packaging and processing equipment, these are great changes that will bring the whole machinery sector in Australia together. We are looking forward to exhibiting at APPEX 2024."
"As has been amply demonstrated by the success of recent global trade expos like Interpack, APPEX is well positioned as one of the best places to do business in Australia," Dingley said. His remark is supported by The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies (PMMI) ‘Guide to Global Markets 2022’ report, which recognises Australia as a top machinery importing country, reporting a 123 per cent growth (USD $51.6 million) from 2016 to 2021 in processing machinery imports, and 120 per cent growth in packaging machinery imports over the same six-year period (USD $55.2 million).
For companies interested in finding out more about exhibiting in the remaining five per cent of stand space, contact Abigail Ford at aford@etf.com.au.
