3 minute read
PACKAGING AND PROCESSING
The importance of industry exhibitions and trade fairs like AUSPACK
Packaging and process trade fair, AUSPACK, has put together a list of exhibitors and showcases for the return of the event in 2022. Food & Beverage Industry News looks at what is on offer.
AUSPACK was established 36 years ago by the Australian Packaging & Processing Machinery Association (APPMA), which still owns the event today.
The APPMA’s members encompass suppliers from a range of companies – from large conglomerates through to through to small, niche businesses – it is run by the industry, for the industry.
“Over the years, the APPMA has expanded AUSPACK to include machinery for the packaging and processing sectors, services, packaging and materials, IT and industrial automation, machinery components and plant equipment,” said Karolina Rodriguez, marketing manager for Exhibitions and Trade Fairs for AUSPACK 2022.
“While it’s been unquestionably important to follow government health guidelines around face-to-face events, these events really are the best way to target customers and suppliers and to demonstrate machinery and products.
“AUSPACK 2022 is the ideal face-to-face environment, facilitating demonstrations of technology and expertise to an audience of industry decision-makers and influencers.”
AUSPACK 2022 will be the first event for the industry since 2019, so it’s a good opportunity to reconnect with peers and build connections while learning about all the innovations that have occurred since the last trade show.
“We’re anticipating more than 250 exhibitors for AUSPACK 2022,” said Rodriguez.
“Most exhibitors from the postponed 2021 show rolled over into 2022, and I think this really speaks to the quality and value of AUSPACK for the industry spectrum of packaging and processing businesses.”
The event will also see the launch of a new Leaders Forum to encourage and facilitate thought leadership and high-level thinking for Australian manufacturers on the ever-evolving world of industry, innovation and collaboration.
A variety of free seminars on a range of topics will be available to attendees. The expanded seminar series will consist of two theatres on the show floor after they proved popular at the 2019 event.
“We’re also going to have an array of new zones: IT & Services, Processing Equipment, Packaging and Packaging Materials, and Packaging Machinery,” said Rodriguez.
“Everyone is time poor, and zones make it easy for visitors to spend their time researching, learning, and networking in the specific areas they’re most interested in. Of course, it’s also valuable for exhibitors to have such qualified leads.”
As always, AUSPACK 2022 will feature live demonstrations, which have become an important part of the show for both exhibitors to show their products to potential customers and for visitors to see and compare them in action.
With the addition of a new online schedule, visitors will also be able to look up what live demonstrations will be happening and plan their time on the expo floor accordingly, to ensure they don’t miss out on seeing the latest innovations.
It’s hoped that with the return of AUSPACK will also be the return of the events popularity across the industry.
Since its inception, AUSPACK has been run biennially between Melbourne and Sydney. However, Melbourne has always been the largest event.
AUSPACK 2019, which was held in the Victorian capital, broke records on every front – visitor numbers through the door, the amount of floor space selling out six months before the event despite it being the largest floor space ever, and the highest number of adjacent events running alongside the free exhibition.
“With the last show three years ago, the market wants to connect again face-to-face,” said Rodriguez.
“All these reasons made the decision easier to hold AUSPACK 2022 in Melbourne.”
Because AUSPACK is run by the industry itself, the event is perceptive to industry trends. On top of several major topics, key themes for AUSPACK 2022 are: • Sustainability. • Robotics and automation. • Fast and flexible machinery. • Smart packaging. These themes will be explored in depth through the aforementioned sessions held in the Seminar Series and Leaders Forum.
New industry targets around more sustainable packaging, and a circular economy around the use of packaging, has become more prominent since the last AUSPACK event in 2019.
“A circular economy is a global trend that manufacturers and suppliers need to understand and make progress with to be viable to consumers,” said Rodriguez. “AUSPACK has a responsibility to showcase these innovations and help drive progress.
“Sustainability and the circular economy will form part of a session at the AUSPACK Leaders Forum, where industry leaders will be looking at how they navigate the disruption and opportunities that are taking place.”
AUSPACK 2022 will run from May 17 to May 20 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. F
