See new packaging innovations in one convenient place at PACK EXPO East
Get up to speed on the latest innovations in packaging and processing at PACK EXPO East, March 18 – 20 in Philadelphia. Don’t miss out!

Miss PACK EXPO Connects? No Problem

The November 2020 issue of Packaging World will have landed in your mailbox about a week after the industry’s most engaging 2020 event, PACK EXPO Connects from PMMI Media Group (PMG).

Matt Reynolds1

Did you miss it? Or maybe you were able to attend some of it but didn’t get to everything you wanted to. That’s unavoidable with all of the concurrent educational sessions, product demonstrations, trends reports, and real-time interaction with suppliers and vendors.

Real-time interaction is one of the more valuable features of any event, whether it’s in-person or virtual. PACK EXPO Connects was specifically designed with live, brain-to-brain information exchange in mind. Real human product experts manned each demo and booth and were able interact with attendees via chat in real-time. And of course, all of that valuable interaction came without the hand sanitizer, six-foot spacing, and mask.

But the reality is that even online, we can’t be two places at once. Attendees have to prioritize their time at events, in-person or otherwise. PACK EXPO Connects will have held well over 2,500 live demos, so nobody could have experienced it all in a week anyhow.

Fortunately, one of the many benefits of virtual events (besides being able to attend from your couch wearing jogging pants) is that all of the content can be recorded and saved for future consumption. That’s just what PMG has done with PACK EXPO Connects, so even though the event was last week, it’s all still available at your fingertips, and will be available until March 31, 2021. Here’s what you can still find, at your leisure, at packexpoconnects.com:

Product Demonstrations. For most attendees, the bottom-line reason for attending any packaging industry event is to learn about new product innovations that could benefit their businesses. Whether your brand is in need of updated packaging machinery, fresh new design ideas, more sustainable materials, or the latest in robotics or controls, you’ll find it at PACK EXPO Connects—and still will be able to for months after last week’s event. Under normal circumstances, some suppliers may even find it time-, labor-, or cost-prohibitive to bring all of their latest equipment to a physical location, but that limitation disappears in the virtual setting. And even though that live booth attendant that was there Nov. 9-13 won’t be literally ‘there’ to chat, his or her contact info will be right there in the virtual booth. And they’re expecting your call or email.

Innovation Stages. Tune in at your convenience to these 30-minute sessions to hear from exhibitors and industry experts on the latest breakthroughs and trends in sustainability, food & beverage, and more.

The Solution Room will consist of 45-minute sessions led by industry thought leaders and partner organizations, discussing packaging challenges and how to overcome them.

Jumpstart Sessions. These dynamic, news show-style video programs are highly engaging and fast paced, featuring dozens of subject matter experts alongside reporting from our own PMG editors. Daily focuses included sustainable packaging, workforce development, robotics, remote access/monitoring, and packaging for e-commerce, among others.

Daily Downloads. Our stable of PMG editors will be attending as many product demonstrations as they are physically able. Each day they will break down and summarize what they saw introduced at the show, and provide context with how some of these innovations fit into bigger picture trends that drive our industry to evolve.

Trends Chats. In these audio reports, we narrow our focus and drill down to fine detail on buzzworthy topics like cannabis packaging, serialization’s effect on healthcare packaging, and more.

We all miss the cordial, in-person live events that dotted the pre-pandemic packaging industry landscape, but it’s becoming clear that virtual events have their own suite of pretty nifty advantages. While the live, hyper-interactive element of PACK EXPO Connects came and went last week, just like a physical, in-person event would, one feature that’s unique to virtual events is the long-tail durability and longevity of the content, solutions, and innovations contained within. That’s something that not even in-person events can always claim, so take advantage. Visit packexpoconnects.com to find everything listed above and more.

Discover Our Content Hub
Access Packaging World's free educational content library!
Read More
Discover Our Content Hub
How Can You Honor a Leader?
Induction into the Packaging & Processing Hall of Fame is the highest honor in our industry. Submit your leader to be considered for the Class of 2024 now through June 10th. New members will be inducted at PACK EXPO International in Chicago
Read More
How Can You Honor a Leader?