Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that the Packaging Innovations event held at Birmingham’s NEC at the end of last month was able to announce record attendance at this year’s event.
It was the largest show to date, with 350 exhibitors and just over 6,000 unique visitors, up 18% year on year, a figure that delighted event director Alison Church of organiser EasyFairs, who described the show as “lively from start to finish”.
The mix of exhibitors spanned specialist equipment suppliers, such as Intec, which previewed its new CS5000 five-colour digital printing system, and HP, which showcased the creative and practical possibilities of digital packaging printing.
I-Sub Digital showed its Digi-Foil system for proofing and mocking-up foil effects on packaging without the need for costly dies.
Meanwhile Antalis attracted lots of attention with its alternative to the cardboard box. The multi- purpose, fold-flat, ‘Notbox’ range of reusable boxes has multiple of uses including packaging, storage and transportation.
HP customers were of course fundamental in the roll-out of the high-profile Coca-Cola “Share a Coke” campaign, which involved Coke bottle labels featuring a selection of different names.
The campaign has done much to both highlight the potential for packaging personalisation as well as kick-starting promotions by other brands.
So it wasn’t surprising that personalised packaging was among many innovations being discussed and debated. Iceland Foods own-label and packaging manager Ian Schofield took part in a number of panel discussions including The Big Print Debate, where the topic was “Latest print technologies – gimmick or sound ROI”. He mulled the potential for a variety of personalised possibilities.
“It’s appealing when something is personalised to you – you’ve only got to think of services like Moonpig, or having your name on the back of an iPad. So this is good news for packaging. It could also be used for things like ingredients for people with special diets. Personalisation has got its place. How we do it is a different ball game.”
Innovation platform
Packaging printers and converters used the exhibition as a way to showcase their own innovations. First-time exhibitor CS Labels chose the show as a platform to launch a new app for augmented reality labels.
This marriage of printed packaging with various types of technology to go ‘beyond packaging’ was a common theme across the exhibition.
Duncan Print Group demonstrated a new presentation box aimed at high-end customers, which plays a promotional video when opened.
And Chesapeake engaged visitors with what could be a shape of things to come – concept packaging with printed luminescence that lights up in response to sounds.
However, during The Big Print Debate, Faraday Centre for Retail Excellence innovation manager for retail, food and packaging Stefan Casey warned that getting the timing right in implementing any hi-tech packaging choices would be critical to success. “It’s embryonic,” he stated. “All these things we’re hearing about need to be integrated in such a way to add value. The big supermarkets are sitting back and waiting to see what happens.”
Peter Aldous, creative services director at branding agency Elmwood London agreed, adding that “special effects need to be used wisely”.
“If you are using the latest technologies to drive brand loyalty, then it is worth doing,” he stated.
Away from the flashing lights and augmented reality, Benson Group pursued a more prosaic packaging innovation path with the launch of its Delilicious range of food packaging.
The range is both eye-catching and practical, and designed to hold a variety of potentially awkward items such as samosas, popcorn and an antipasti selection, as well as more day-to-day foodstuffs such as sandwiches.
Benson marketing manager Nikki Clark said: “We’ve had a great response to the packaging. Everyone seems to have got what we were trying to do with it. We wanted to cause a stir and it’s certainly done that – all sorts of different sectors are interested in it.”
With big brands in attendance at the show, including buyers from Procter & Gamble, Asda, Heineken, Britvic and GlaxoSmithKline, proving the ROI of new packaging formats was also a consistent topic for discussion.
However, Iceland’s Schofield pointed out that endless debates about ROI can result in missed opportunities. “If you’re going back again and again trying to prove the ROI on something, you can miss an opportunity. It’s a huge blockage in some companies.”
He said he was fortunate to avoid such situations at Iceland: “I can risk doing something that doesn’t pay back. I can fail, and recover quickly.”
Packaging Sense founder Lars Wallentin summed up the situation from his point of view: “In the world of packaging where creativity is endless, it is essential to communicate your message, rather than using your logo to sell,” he said. “Change the information on your packaging into real communication.”
For its upcoming events EasyFairs has decided to simplify its multiple show-within-a-show format and focus on three core brands of Packaging Innovations, Empack (packaging technology) and Label&Print.
The next UK event will take place from 30 September to 1 October in London, focused on the high-end packaging market, where the packaging debate around formats and finishes will continue.
