“Transition in Packaging” will be the key theme for FachPack at the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg from 24 to 26 September 2024. This describes the powerful currents that are affecting the packaging sector in Europe right now. High expectations in terms of sustainability combined with new packaging regulations, increasing digitalization and artificial intelligence are just three of the driving themes at FachPack 2024. Demographic change also poses challenges for the industry. FachPack perceives itself as a guide for the sector, offering both interaction and direction. “The dynamics in the packaging industry have never been greater,” says Heike Slotta, Executive Director Exhibitions at NürnbergMesse. “And companies are responding with impressive powers of design and innovation. We will get to experience these first-hand during the three days of the trade fair, and I’m very much looking forward to it.” The key theme of “Transition in Packaging” will be reflected at the stands of the 1,463 exhibitors, in the extensive lecture programme, in the fascinating special shows and themed pavilions, and in the award presentations. Some 35,000 visitors from the consumer and industrial goods industries are expected.
FachPack provides a compact yet comprehensive overview of the products and services along the entire packaging process chain for industrial and consumer goods. That means packaging, the associated technology and the accompanying processes. The trade fair extends to eleven exhibition halls this year. Of the 1,463 exhibitors, 47 percent will travel to Nuremberg from outside Germany, the majority from Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, Greece, the Czech Republic, France and Turkey.
About 56 percent of exhibitors represent the packaging sector, in other words packaging materials and packaging accessories. Forty-four percent are from the packaging technology area, i.e. packaging machines, labelling systems and automation. The package printing and finishing segments and internal logistics are also covered at FachPack.
New ideas: Presentations with their finger on the pulse
FachPack perceives itself as a driving force for the sector. In addition to the extensive product exhibition and the many innovations on show there, this will also be evident from the lecture programme in the forums PackBox (Hall 4), InnovationBox (Hall 2) and SolPack 5.0 (Hall 3). All three draw on themes of current interest to the sector, e.g. dealing with the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations (PPWR), the circular economy, automation and AI, and also alternative packaging solutions and new fibre-based raw materials.
Highlights in the lecture programme include:
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Safe and sustainable? Evaluation of packaging materials with a focus on recyclates
- Quo Vadis Packaging? - what does the new EU packaging regulation mean in terms of practical business examples
- Digital packaging data: A must-have to handle complexity and new legal demands
- How AI is driving the circular economy
- Digitalization - smart packaging for greater transparency and sustainability
- Future-Ready Packaging - How to make your packaging fit for the future: Best practice examples of paper-based packaging solutions!
- The future of retail: new insights and their impact on the packaging industry
In the PackBox forum, moderated on this occasion by industry experts Matthias Mahr (LebensmittelPraxis magazine), Dr Johannes Bergmair (Pack Experts and World Packaging Organisation) and Oliver Berndt (Deutsches Verpackungsinstitut (German Packaging Institute, dvi), key partners to the packaging industry will give shape to the programme and invite visitors to listen in and join the discussion. Solpack 5.0, moderated by Peter Désilets and Volker Muche (sustainability agency pacoon GmbH), is devoted to sustainable packaging solutions. At InnovationBox, moderated by Nina Schönrock and Petra Bindl, registered exhibitors will introduce their new product developments and process innovations in short, punchy presentations.
New food for thought and solutions for the packaging industry
Following a few challenging years, FachPack is back in the form in which the industry knows and appreciates it: 1,463 exhibitors will be present in the eleven exhibition halls, and not only the most prominent names in the packaging industry but also many smaller SMEs which will also find their customers here. “FachPack is quite simply a "class reunion" for the European packaging industry,” Slotta observes, adding: “For three days we will once again experience the hands-on mentality that’s characteristic of this sector and feel its momentum. The current transformation in the packaging industry is something we are facing with optimism and a focus on solutions. We are actively involved in shaping this transformation, fully in line with our slogan, "We create the future"!
New network: Women in focus
A new feature is the Women4Packaging networking event for women in the packaging industry, taking place in the Brussels Room, NCC Mitte, at mid-day on the first day of the trade fair (24.9). This will give female players in the industry a unique opportunity to network on-site, provide mutual inspiration and interact on current themes and trends in the packaging sector. The whole thing takes place in a relaxed atmosphere. A highlight is the Keynote by Vera Strauch, founder of the Female Leadership Academy and expert in Feminist Leadership, on “Grow Your Influence: How to build a strong network and make an authentic impact”. About 150 participants have registered.
