EXPO PACK Guadalajara continued its maturation from a regional show in Western Mexico to a truly international event, welcoming nearly 16,000 attendees to the Expo Guadalajara June 13–15. Just as impressive as the 45 percent rise in attendance from 2015 was the increase in diversity with over 40 percent traveling from outside the immediate Jalisco area, including international attendance from Guatemala, Cuba, Costa Rica, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru.
“This year’s event confirmed our belief that like EXPO PACK México in the even years, EXPO PACK Guadalajara has taken the mantle of the leading packaging and processing event in Latin America in the odd numbered years,” says Jim Pittas, COO of show producer PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. “It exceeded our expectations in attendance, exhibitors and total event floor space.”
All told more than 21,000 packaging and processing professionals from 16 countries descended among 757 booths spread across 140,000 net square feet of exhibit space—triple the size of 2015. International pavilions included Brazil, Canada, China, France, Italy, Spain and the United States. PMMI was represented by 160 member exhibitors, with more than half —82— in the PMMI pavilion.
EXPO PACK General Director Gerardo Barajas opened the show with high expectations based on research from the Mexican Packaging Association (AMEE) that indicated steady growth in the Mexican packaging and processing market. The total production of the Mexican packaging industry increased 4.6 percent over the previous year and is expected to grow 5 percent by the end of 2017. This data served as the impetus for many educational opportunities for attendees including a standing-room only conference session from MILA Managing Director Luis Doménech that outlined the causes of the current stability in the Mexican market and presented a series of strategies for success. Doménech described the market as ripe for investment with multinational consumer packaged goods companies, an exploding beverage sector and an increasing desire for automation driving growth.
Additional educational offerings included free on-floor Innovation Stage presentations, a full conference program, Packaging Congress and the Envases Estelares Award from AMEE.
As in previous years EXPO PACK Guadalajara’s success was bolstered by unparalleled support from most of Mexico’s leading professional industry associations. These important organizations include AMEE, Cámara de Comercio de Guadalajara, Cámara de la Industria Alimenticia de Jalisco (CIAJ), Cámara Nacional de Fabricantes de Envases Metálicos (CANAFEM), Cámara Nacional de la Industria de Artes Gráficas de Jalisco (CANAGRAF Jalisco), Cámara Nacional de la Industria de Conservas Alimenticias (CANAINCA), Cámara Nacional de la Industria de Productos Cosméticos y Asociación Nacional de la Industria de Productos del Cuidado Personal y del Hogar A.C. (CANIPEC), Cámara Nacional de la Industria Farmacéutica (CANIFARMA) and Cámara Regional de la Industria de la Transformación del Estado de Jalisco (CAREINTRA).
EXPO PACK MĂ©xico returns to Expo Santa Fe MĂ©xico in Mexico City June 5-8, 2018. Exhibit sales are now open. For more information visit www.expopack.com.mx.
