Following on from Easyfairs’ flagship Birmingham packaging expo at the NEC in March, the 2019 edition of Packaging Innovations and Luxury Packaging London will continue its design and innovation focus while building on its sister show’s evolving focus on environmental issues.

Sustainability will remain high on the show’s agenda with the continuation of its recently added Big Plastics Debate talk strand, which this year will see speakers from the Green Alliance, Biffa, Waste Aid and Veolia.

According to divisional director James Drake-Brockman, who has overseen the show since 2017, the sustainability debate will continue to evolve this year as the talking points extend beyond the sustainability of and alternatives to plastic packaging.

“Our London show is more creative, premium and design-led, but there is plenty of overlap with Birmingham,” he said. “We are continuing to see this balance between luxury and sustainability, so we have been tracking what has changed in the past 12 months.

“Mainly what has changed is the sentiment around plastics, which has become a more nuanced debate that has filled out with talks about global warming and carbon emissions; the debate is a lot bigger, and we will reflect that.”

A host of new suppliers will be exhibiting at the London show alongside returning brands, as 78% of exhibitors from 2018 have rebooked their stands. The Easyfairs team is also currently in discussions to bring the Birmingham show’s ‘start-up village’ to London which would see smaller, innovative businesses provided exhibition space for free.

Design will remain fundamental to the show’s ethos as its partnership with the Pentawards will continue to highlight the latest advances in the luxury packaging centre, while a Pentawards Gala will highlight the winners to have graced the show in the past 10 years.

Drake-Brockman said: “To reach 10 years and grow every time is a great achievement and I am proud of my predecessors and colleagues. There was a need for this show in the South East as this is where the retail and luxury markets are dominant.

“We are poised to grow even further as this is an important meeting place that gives a rare opportunity to see the best in the industry. We look to provide not recommendations, but a balanced vision of the future.”

He concluded: “This is an industry going through a pace of change that we have never seen before so we know that we are needed – the two best places to come to understand what is going on in packaging are our Birmingham show and our London one.”

Packaging Innovations and Luxury Packaging 2019 will take place at the Olympia, London, from 11-12 September.