The five-year-old event is switching from the Business Design Centre in north London to west London's Olympia and will use its iconic new location to refresh the show format. Luxury Packaging show has shared the billing from 2013.
Around 175 exhibitors have signed up for the show on 16 and 17 September, with more companies from print and labelling than ever before, said event director Alison Church.
“We expect the show to be slightly bigger than last year in terms of exhibitors,” she said, “For visitors, we saw growth of between 10% and 18% in previous years and I hope for similar growth in 2015.”
Last year 3,930 visitors enjoyed what has become a highlight in the industry calendar. Exhibitors recently signed up include API Foil, Herbert Walkers, VCG Kestrel, Astro-Med UK and Miran.
Leo Luxe, Fleet Luxury, HH Deluxe Packaging and Schur Star Systems have already confirmed their presence at the two-day event, hosted by trade-show organiser Easyfairs,
“The show has been growing each year and I would say visitor growth has exceeded exhibitor growth,” said Church.
“We want more visitors but don't want to water down their experience: if we have too many it may mean fewer per exhibitor, and we feel we have struck a good balance.”
She added: “We want this year's show to have a fresh feel, after several years at the Building Design Centre and will use the iconic exhibition venue of Olympia to give it a London feel.”
BPIF Cartons and Museum of Brands will celebrate the history of the British cuppa, while champagne and 'Pimms o'clock' gatherings will give the event a celebratory feel.
“But the focus is on the future," she added. "Print and packaging is seeing more emphasis on things like augmented reality and printed electronics, which are creating new experiences in packaging.
“In the past this has been talked about as technically possible, but it's now getting more take-up - it is more affordable and a critical mass is building.
“It is therefore more of a reality for packagers; they can see some kind of application and how it can build a brand, rather than something that is technology for technology's sake.”
New to the show is the 'great innovation debate' with an 'innovate wall', which will offer a more open format than past debates that focused on a particular topic.
“What is innovation? The answer is objective, so we want to open it up for the audience to put forward their ideas on what it is, where we can find it how we can drive it. People can scribble their ideas on the brainstorming innovate wall," said Church.
Headline speakers at the drinks symposium on 17 September include experts behind Sauvelle, a new French vodka, and Funkin Cocktails' managing director Andrew King.
Sauvelle brand marketing and business development director Nick Worthington will talk about launching a small independent brand on to the market and the importance of packaging.
