The show, which took place at Birmingham's NEC, 26 & 27 February 2014, was co-located with six other events: Ecopack, Contract Pack, Packtech, Print Innovations, Labelling Innovations, and Converting.
It included packaging buyers from major names such as GlaxoSmithKline, Lush Cosmetics, Heineken, Britvic Soft Drinks, Danone, Asda and Proctor & Gamble.
Alison Church, Event Director at easyFairs UK, said she was delighted with the turnout.
"The show was lively from start to finish, with both visitor and exhibitor numbers up, we are in a great position to take the show to new heights next year. 2015 will be an even bigger year for us, as the show will be celebrating its 10th edition, so it's an exciting time for those who are involved with the show."
Amongst the highlights of the show were Bag Re:Born which launched a new eco-innovation for the carrier bag market; i-Sub Digital successfully rolled out its exclusive Digi-Foil system, which creates colour-accurate mock-ups in under ten minutes; plus Folding carton manufacturer, Benson Group, unveiled its new range of food-to-go products under the Benson Delilicious brand name.
Hayley Mustad, key account manager, at IBIS Packaging Solutions, exhibiting at the show, said: "The footfall this year has been great, with key decision makers from blue chip companies coming onto the stand. Great show, so much so we have booked for 2015, and gone for a bigger stand!"
Also exhibiting at the show was Mark Baker-Homes, director of business development at Intec Printing Solutions, who said there was considerable interest and demand for the packaging and labelling market.
"We had blue chip companies coming onto the stand, but also start-ups looking to get into packaging with genuine enthusiasm, which is great to see. We could not have asked for a better show and the easyFairs team is great – they provide fantastic show support, and realise the true value of business. We'll certainly be here next year."
The event included a two-day comprehensive free-to-attend learnShops seminar programme, with speakers from DHL Supply Chain, Iceland Foods, The Barts Ingredients TM Co Ltd, Recoup, Marks and Spencer, Wilkinson, Tesco, and Oloves.
On the second day, Julia Cole, UK and Ireland marketing manager at HP, and Trevor Smith from Amberley Adhesive Labels, demonstrated how digital can help brands create a more personal relationship with consumers.
Cole said: "As brands learn of the capabilities of digital printing for packaging, they will begin to leverage those techniques that differentiate their products and drive sales by extending their marketing campaigns in to the packaging itself. Shorter runs, just in time delivery and minimal inventory are all key factors in reducing costs and reducing the time to market and digital can help make this possible."
The BIG Packaging Debate attracted over 100 visitors to hear a panel of packaging experts discuss: 'Packaging – designed for the consumer or the supply chain?'.
This year's panel, chaired by Kevin Vyse, included Echo Brand Design, DHL Packaging Services Europe, Alliance Boots and The Consumer Voice held the general opinion that the supply chain may well be increasing in complexity, but so are consumers' lives and the way we market to them. The opinion was that flexibility and agility was key to future retail and concluded that perhaps there is a general need for packaging to reflect in-store and online demands more simply, with the real opportunity to reduce secondary packaging. Continuing to educate the consumer about the possibilities of reusing or refilling a product, rather than recycling was also an underlying theme.
Chris Blackwell, marketing manager at Delipca, said of the show: "Great speaker line-up from major brand owners to packaging converters and logistics. This year's seminars have been really high quality and very informative, providing the latest thinking and developments within the packaging and print industry."
The next UK packaging event in 2014 takes place at the Business Design Centre in London on 30 September and 1 October 2014 focusing on its two strong concepts – Packaging Innovations and Luxury Packaging.
