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Visitors from 155 countries, many with firm intentions to buy, came to the event. A total of 2,807 exhibitors showcased the strength and creativity of the packaging sector with their technologies and solutions, providing numerous impulses, ideas, and concrete business deals that will be implemented in the coming years.
“With interpack we were able to finally hold one of the Messe Düsseldorf’s most important events again. It has reported back impressively and reinforced its position as the global platform for the exchange amongst all players in the packaging sector, related process industries and all user industries. Our targets were exceeded by far,” says Bernd Jablonowski, Executive Director at Messe Düsseldorf, at the end of the trade fair.
Overall, about 143,000 visitors travelled to interpack, with two thirds coming from abroad. In addition to many European countries, the largest visitor nations were India, Japan, and the U.S. Around 75% of the visitors have middle or top management positions.
The U.S. was also well represented on the exhibitor side, with 95 companies, 21 of which exhibited within the U.S. Pavilion organized by Messe Düsseldorf North America.
Considering current market developments, the enormous challenges but also the even bigger opportunities, this interpack was important. The need to automate, the will to act sustainably, and changed consumption habits are all expressions of transformation.
interpack’s strategic focus on the four hot topics: circular economy, resource management, digital technologies, and product safety was evident in numerous innovations. It has traditionally been a key cornerstone in the innovation cycle of the packaging industry and related process industries, more than lived up to this claim this year.
All facets of sustainability were top themes. Exhibitors presented high-end technologies and holistic concepts that consider efficiency and sustainability along their entire production line. “Many companies in the consumer goods industry have set their own sustainability targets,” says Richard Clemens, Managing Director of the Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association within VDMA at interpack. “Over the past few years, packaging machinery manufacturers have succeeded in implementing sustainable packaging concepts by means of corresponding technical adaptations and newly developed machinery solutions. interpack is the showcase for innovations and, at the same time, the point of departure for developing further towards a sustainable circular economy.”
interpack is not only a business but also a content platform for the sector, both live and digitally. A total of 50 talks took place at the TV studio and “packaging journal”, giving the top topics and trends additional visibility and reach through live streams.
The Spotlight Talks & Trends Forum addressed seven topics over seven days, including logistics, circular economy, and e-commerce. The program was presented jointly by interpack, the dfv Conference Group, and PackReport.
Also attracting a lot of attention were the Start-up Zone, the joint stand Co-Packing, several award ceremonies highlighting exciting packaging innovations, the ‘SAVE FOOD Highlight-Route’ with new approaches in the fight against global food loss and waste, and the promotion of women at Women in Packaging. The special buzz at this premiere was created by about 200 women from the international sector, who exchanged ideas and established new networks during interpack.
Several exhibitors shared their experiences:
“interpack for IMA is historically a point of reference in the exhibition panorama. As a matter of fact, in this 2023 edition we attended with an almost 5000 m2 booth: the biggest ever. 46 machines, 12 new models and 22 machines IiOT connected, expressing IMA’s commitment towards innovation and digitalization. Great emphasis on sustainability as one of the main pillars of the IMA System, presenting solutions to handle new eco-friendly materials on our equipment. We recorded excellent attendance and our customers were extremely pleased by our polyhedric portfolio characterized by innovation.”—Monica Cervellati, Corporate Communication and Exhibitions Director IMA
“interpack 2023 has been a success for Metsä Board. In our Innovation Lab area we provided inspiration for the visitors around circular packaging solutions made with renewable and easily recyclable materials helping to reduce the use of plastic. This year’s discussions exceeded our expectations. The quality of visitors was surprisingly high coming from all over the world and fulfilled fully the expectations we had in exhibiting at this international fair.”—Marjo Halonen, VP Communications Metsä Board
“interpack is an important trade fair for us. In 2017 we were still represented with a smaller stand, for 2023 we opted in favor of an enlargement. What we especially liked is the trade fair’s high international attendance and the new hall concept. We will be back in 2026 again.”—Andreas Grabotin, Zone Director DACH Markem-Imaje
"For Uhlmann Pac-Systeme, interpack was a great success. Our stand concept with its clear focus on sustainability was very well received by visitors. We also stimulated the interest of trade fair visitors who actually did not have us on their program. Sustainability as a driver of innovation in products and services, both at Parenteralia and Oral Solid Dose - this is what our customers are looking for and this has also enabled us to develop new contacts. The live experience and the opportunity to just get in touch, that's really a trademark of interpack, and we're very happy that the fair could take place again."—Gabi Bauer, Head of Marketing & Communication Uhlmann Pac-Systeme
"Process and packaging technology for a better life - that's what visitors experienced at the Syntegon stand. This included numerous solutions with answers to market trends such as automation, digitalization and sustainability. And the feedback from our customers showed that we have met their requirements. Whether new machines, entire lines or services, the interest was great. The first interpack with our Syntegon brand was a complete success for us".—Dr. Michael Grosse, Chairman of the Management Board, Syntegon
“interpack 2023 was one of the most eagerly awaited events for our industry. It was a great opportunity to meet our customers and partners again and to start new projects and collaborations. We exhibited more than 50 machines with a focus on sustainability, digital innovation, laboratory solutions, sterile packaging, inspection and traceability. In particular, our visitors showed interest in eco-friendly solutions, in our innovative robot with parallel architecture and AI applications. I was impressed by the determination of visitors who visited us with specific requests. At the same time, we regret that due to the difficulties the world is facing in this moment, we couldn’t meet customers from some geographical areas.”—Valentina Marchesini, Director of Human Resources and Head of Marketing & Communications at Marchesini Group S.p.A.
