Some 2,700 exhibitors from 60 countries are expected to be on hand when interpack 2011 opens its doors May 12-18 at the fairgrounds of Dusseldorf, Germany. All 19 halls of the fairgrounds will be filled to capacity with packaging and process solutions for companies in industries including food and beverage, confectionery, baked goods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, personal-care, non-food consumer goods, industrial goods, and related services.
interpack’s status as the leading international packaging trade fair is not only demonstrated by the exhibitors’ interest but also by the future-oriented special topics it will address. In addition to Innovationparc Packaging, focusing on Quality of Life, visitors will have the opportunity to experience the first Metal Packaging Plaza and the Save Food special exhibition and congress.
Following the positive response to the Innovationparc Packaging at interpack 2008, visitors at interpack 2011 can look forward to the Quality of Life show, which will be organized in cooperation with the European Retail Institute (EHI), the Pan-European Brand Design Association (PDA), the Zukunftsinstitut (the “future” institute), and representatives of various companies. Quality of Life describes an all-embracing concept directed at the individual with the subthemes of health, identity, simplicity, and aesthetics. These subthemes precisely match the core competences of the packaging industry, as they shape human behavior and hence consumption patterns as well. In the Innovationparc Packaging, best-practice examples of sustainable packages will be presented in a realistic environment. The special show will therefore become a “mall” with a variety of stores, with each store standing for one of the individual Innovationparc Packaging subthemes.
Brand new this year at interpack is the Metal Packaging Plaza. With this debut, interpack is creating a new forum for the international metal packaging industry and its suppliers. The centerpiece of the show will be an information platform providing background data on current industry topics. Around this platform, companies will present themselves and their innovative metal packaging solutions.
The Save Food exhibition and congress will highlight how the individual links in the packaging value chain—including production, transport, logistics, and retailing—can contribute to solving the critical problem of worldwide food waste. Messe Düsseldorf is working on this special theme in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the trade associations that support interpack. In addition to highlighting the current situation, solutions and concepts will be presented showing how packaging can effectively prevent food spoilage at every stage from production to consumption. Before the start of interpack 2011, the FAO will prepare three studies that will be presented on May 16 and 17 during a top-level congress to be held in the Congress Center East at the fairgrounds. Parallel to this, plans are underway to stage an exhibition in the SAVE FOOD pavilion on the interpack exhibition grounds.
As the world’s largest international packaging trade fair, interpack 2011 will present innovations for the entire value chain. Three key trends of relevance to virtually all players in this industry have been emerging: sustainability, safety, and convenience. Sustainability is increasingly becoming a competitive factor. In production, sustainability means taking all possible measures to save energy in the form of electricity or minimizing the required material input. Packaging also provides consumer safety by ensuring the seamless traceability of packaged goods such as pharmaceuticals and food products. In packaging machinery, hygienic design is playing an ever-greater role, focusing on minimizing biological risks during processing and assuring easy cleaning of the machines themselves.
Convenience will be a recurring theme, too, at interpack. Global changes in society, with more and more single-person households and higher percentages of women working outside the home, are resulting in changes in lifestyles and habits. Food-on-the-go products, snacks, or pre-cooked meals are becoming increasingly popular. In addition, the range of available foods is steadily increasing. This trend towards more convenience has been going on for years and the packaging sector has to adjust to it by providing packages that are easy to handle or are smaller in size. For packaging machinery manufacturers, this means rising demand for systems and lines that can process a wide range of packaging styles with quick and easy changes of product, volume, and formats.
Attendees can find useful information for their visit at www.interpack.com, including the exhibitor database where they can generate a personalized hall plan, a matchmaking function to get in contact with exhibitors, information on all new developments to be presented by the exhibitors as well as hotel and city of DĂĽsseldorf information. The interpack services can also be accessed by mobile phone at http://mobile.interpack.com. For the first time, visitors can also download an iPhone app (as a feature of the Messe DĂĽsseldorf app), with which they can zoom in to any individual stand on the interpack floor plan and find information about the specific exhibitor, such as stand number, contact details, etc.
interpack will be open daily from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm (May 12 - 18, 2011). Entrance passes are available online at www.interpack.com in advance of the show at reduced rates (Euro 49 for a one-day pass, Euro 99 for a 3-day pass) or on show site at regular rates (Euro 55 for a one-day pass, Euro 120 for a 3-day pass). Passes allow free use of all public transportation on all days of interpack 2011 within the Rhine-Ruhr regional network (VRR) of DĂĽsseldorf. New this year for added convenience: eTickets ordered online can be printed at home and will be converted into badges at the turnstiles on show site.
For further information on visiting or exhibiting at interpack 2011, contact Messe DĂĽsseldorf North America.
