Fortunately for the show’s organisers, 2011’s healthy visitor numbers proved that it was indeed the recession which had kept exhibitors and visitors away rather than more fundamental problems with the show’s location. And 2013’s show, scheduled for 14-16 May and once again at the Harrogate International Centre, is confirming this picture, with the event’s organisers confident of visitor numbers increasing again, up to around 3,000 over its three days.

Playing no small part in the show growing in strength once again, has been its rebrand. To say that North Print is back on the map might be slightly misleading, as what’s actually back firmly in printers’ diaries is a show that, rebranded as North Print & Pack, will look quite different from how it has over the past 40 years.

Greater appeal
According to North Print & Pack sales manager Mary Buck, adding this new packaging strand has boosted the event’s appeal considerably as it means it now occupies a unique place in the UK print diary. "Before this there wasn’t a show in the UK for vendors to show off packaging kit," she says, explaining that she sees Packaging Innovations, although it does incorporate some on-stand kit demos and launches, as being more geared towards printers exhibiting innovative formats to print buyers.

As you’d expect, then, there’ll be plenty of packaging kit launches and live demonstrations this year. GMG will be showcasing for the first time its OpenColor packaging proofing solution, while Screen will be promoting its recently introduced Truepress Jet L350UV inkjet label press. Meanwhile on the finishing side of things, Compact Foilers will be showcasing how its new CF1000 floor-mounted, portable modules can be used to add cold-foiling and holographic effects to packaging.

A key theme, explains Buck, will be how commercial printers might add to their existing kit line-up to branch into the lucrative area of packaging: "There’ll be a big packaging focus. But that will take many different forms. It could be digital commercial printers with a digital engine looking to see how they can get their part of the packaging pie, so what pre-formed packaging can go through a digital engine, what small-format die-cutting they can find for their digital engine, so they can evolve their business into a niche market," she says.

Buck adds that many of the show’s exhibitors partnering on stands together will be helpful to those printers that want to branch into packaging, but need information on how to do it. "It will mean that visitors have a one-stop solution rather than having to go to one vendor for one part and then another vendor to join up the circle," she says.

Buck adds, though, that commercial printers keen to concentrate on their core business shouldn’t worry that the original remit of the show will now be overshadowed by a focus on packaging. There certainly seem to be plenty of product displays aimed squarely at commercial printers; the new Mondi "perfect for marketing collateral" DNS colour print paper, new AMS mailing solutions and the recently launched Ricoh Pro C901 Graphic Arts + printer to name a few.

Just as strong a factor in drawing the crowds this year as the new packaging aspect, has been a beefed up educational programme, says Buck who reports: "Registrations show that commercial printers are still very interested in the show."

Theatreland
Attracting both commercial printers and their packaging counterparts this year are two new theatres, The New Printing Landscape Theatre aimed at commercial printers, and The New Packaging Theatre. A new addition in 2011, the Printers Profit Zone will also be making a return appearance, offering practical tips for boosting sales and profits.

Confirming the appeal of such aspects is John Tolley, managing director at printer Prime Group. He has visited the show most years and will this year be speaking in a couple of seminars and says: "The shows are becoming more and more difficult to justify printers taking time out for, it tends to be the educational conferences that have a bit more weight now just because you know what you’re going to get out of them. So seminars are quite a draw, as long as they’re advertised well."

One of the key topics discussed as part of North Print & Pack’s new and improved seminar programme won’t actually be packaging-focused, reports Tolley. "There will be a lot of attention on the cross-media sector," he says. "There are still a lot of people trying to work out whether it’s right for them, if they should invest and where it’s going. So I should imagine there’ll be quite a few people attending those sessions."

And in fact beyond the show’s new packaging and educational appeal, North Print & Pack still holds a perhaps unique position in terms of its size and accessibility. "One of the problems I think sometimes with the bigger shows is that they are too big, too busy and you don’t get enough time talking to people on the stand because they’ve always got their eye looking out for the next person to talk to," says Simon Smith, managing director at CS Labels, and first-time attendee this year. "So I’m hoping to spend just a bit of time talking to people and getting a little bit closer to what’s being demonstrated."

Buck would add that another appealing aspect of the show is that plenty of print buyers as well as printers are registered to attend, with the two S’Print speed networking events held on the 14 May hopefully a good place to make contact with them.

So whether it’s to have a browse of packaging or commercial printing kit, to get some tips on running a business, or to network with potential new clients and other printers in the charming locale of Harrogate, there does seem plenty of reasons to head up north this May.

See our stand-by-stand preview...

SHOW INFORMATION

Dates

Tuesday, 14 May - Thursday, 16 May
Venue Harrogate International Centre
Price Entrance is free, register at www.printandpack.co.uk
Opening times 14 & 15 May: 10.00-17.00, 16 May: 10.00-16.00

Key attractions

• The New Printing Landscape Theatre, located in Theatre 1 will offer a programme intended to advise and guide commercial printers on the latest trends in print and cross-media, with a focus on business improvement
• Aimed chiefly at packaging printers and commercial printers wanting to branch out, The New Packaging Theatre’s ‘Think Outside the Box’ programme will also offer content of interest to designers, agencies and retailers
• Theatre 3 will house the Printers’ Profit Zone, featuring business-building workshops organised in association with Nick Devine, aka The Print Coach
• Located next to the seminar theatres, the Applications Showcase is an extra space for exhibitors to demo kit in. The idea is to give vendors the chance to showcase additional products to visitors
• Two speed-networking events will take place from 10.30–11.00 on 14 May, one in each seminar theatre, to focus on print and packaging respectively. The idea behind ‘S’print’ is to allow time-poor visitors to meet up to six new business contacts in a short space of time
• On the last day, the exhibition will host the eighth Proskills’ PrintIT! Programme prize-giving, presenting category winners with individual awards as well as prizes for their schools

SEMINAR SCHEDULE

The New Printing Landscape Theatre

Tuesday, 14 May 

11.00 Introductory address12.00 How digital print is revolutionising consumer behaviour – What are you doing to be a part of it?
13.00 The impact of new technologies on the print industry
14.00 Lack of finance and government support equals lack of innovation and disparity – Advice on enabling your business
15.00 The journey to becoming a marketing services provider
16.00 Going beyond print to deliver value-added services

11.00 How cross-media is making print more powerful in a mobile world
12.00 Doing more with less – New web-to-print applications
13.00 New trends, markets, technologies and products – Sound advice on effectively managing multi-channel campaigns
14.00 Bridging the gap between online and offline – Successfully combining print, video, QR codes and social media into the mix
15.00 Embracing social media for CRM - Optimising the customer experience
16.00 Creating meaningful connections and ‘moments of truth’ with consumers – The evolving relationship between printers, agencies and their brands

11.00 The ROI debate - In a ‘convenience culture’ is print still a worthy ROI in the multi-channel marketing mix?
12.00 The daily challenges of a document production manager - James Weaver interviews Jonny Farmer, 30-year industry veteran
13.00 Is the packaging bandwagon worth the Leap?
14.00 Nanography – from concept to commercial reality  
15.00 Pushing the boundaries – the new paradigm of printed electronics     
16.00 Security solutions for digital print

The New Packaging Theatre

Tuesday, 14 May

11.15 Introductory address – The significance of product packaging in driving purchase and consumption
12.15 Packaging as the advertising – communicating in new ways with the customers
13.15 The importance of investing in people before technology
14.15 The latest value-added package techniques, examples and benefits
15.15 Packaging in a digital world – Maximising the on- and offline experience
16.15 The myth-busters campaign

Wednesday, 15 May

11.15 Knives, scissors and crocodile clips - The consumer does it their way
12.15 Finding better ways to package products
13.15 Hosted by the Institute of Packaging Professionals

Thursday, 16 May

11.15 Responding to the increasing demands for design accountability
12.15 Are the pressures of cost reduction, recycling and waste management stifling innovation?13.15 Fitting into the customer’s business plan
14.15 Can you measure the ROI for ‘going green’
15.15 How will ‘OpenColor’ impact on the packaging industry? Plus: client case study
16.15 Pioneering innovations in packaging design

Printers’ Profit Zone

Tuesday, 14 May
W2P
10.30 Profit leaders at work - Making money with web-to-print
11.30 Sales and marketing master classes: How to identify good quality web-to-print prospects and sell at higher margins
12.30 Business growth in the trenches - growing sales and profits in a shrinking market
14.00 Sales and marketing master classes: How to get to decision-makers so you can sell web-to-print services
15.00 Trendspotting in print: the three horizons - Commercial print trends and what printers need to do to evolve their business model for the future

Wednesday, 15 May

Cross Media
10.30 Profit leaders at work - selling cross-media services in 2013
11.30 Sales and marketing master classes: How to sell value-added services such as cross-media while protecting your margin
12.30 Business growth in the trenches - Driving profitable growth in competitive markets
14.00 Sales and marketing master classes: How to get to decision-makers so you can sell value-added services
15.00 Trendspotting in print: Printers as integrated marketing service providers. Trends in print applications, cross-media and emerging technologies and how printers can take advantage

Thursday, 16 May

10.30 Profit leaders at work - How to break into packaging as a new product offering
11.30 Sales and marketing master classes: How to hire and compensate great salespeople
12.30 Business growth in the trenches - How profit leaders manage their sales teams
14.00 Sales and marketing master classes: How to get your team developing new business on a consistent basis
15.00 Trendspotting in print: Can commercial printers become packaging providers? Packaging market and technology trends and the opportunities where commercial printers can enter the packaging market

THE PRINTER’s VIEW

Ben Johnson, marketing and sales director, Print Works North

"The show has had a refresh and a rethink about its position in the market and I can only see that as a good thing. Packaging is a growth area for print; it’s obviously something people are getting more and more interested in, but we’re not worried that it will overshadow the commercial printing focus. This year we’ll be looking at digital machines, with a view of eventually bringing our digital work in-house. I know Konica and Ricoh are going to be there so we’ll be having a look at their stands. I’m always interested in seeing what new products are available – there’s always something new every year."