It was a record high all round for Interpack this year, with over 170,000 visitors from 168 countries in attendance, 74% of which had travelled from abroad, many Australians among them (here's a snaphsot of who PKN spotted in the crowd).
The atmosphere on exhibitor stands was upbeat, with crowded aisles and buzzing stands promising new contacts and contracts – show organiser Messe Düsseldorf reports that deals worth millions of Euros were signed at the fair.
For Australian company tna, for example, this was its most successful Interpack in the 30 years it has been attending the show, with sales of over $10.5 million concluded.
This year for the first time, the Australian Institute of Packaging had a presence at Interpack on the World Packaging Organisation's stand in the SAVE FOOD pavilion, with AIP executive officer Nerida Kelton fielding high interest in the Australian and New Zealand Save Food Packaging award winners on display. Read more here.
The significance of this triennial global gathering of packaging industry companies and decision makers was evidenced in the effort and investment ploughed into exhibitors' stands.
It seems no expense was spared, as exhibitors went all out to impress and engage visitors, whether by the sheer size and scale of their display (like the IMA stand pictured below, which took up most of hall 17) ...
... or stage shows to attract passers-by, like the vibrant daily spectacle put on by HP (see below) to demonstrate new digital packaging directions...
...or augmented reality and virtual reality attractions and distractions.
It's fair to say visitors to Interpack could not fail to benefit from this internationally unrivalled showcase of innovations on display and the access it afforded to a unique market overview across all segments and product categories. Show organiser Messe Düsseldorf reports: "Just under 98% of visitors stated in the official survey that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their visit to interpack 2017. They took an interest in all ranges and segments of interpack but packaging media received significantly more attention than at the previous event."
“Interpack is an absolute must-go event for companies in this industry and provides unique momentum. Every three years it is not only a one-of-a-kind performance showcase but also the place where suppliers and customers from all over the world get together to network and do business,” Friedbert Klefenz, president of Interpack 2017, said.
Hans Werner Reinhard, MD at Messe Düsseldorf, said: “Interpack has again impressively confirmed its claim of being the world’s most important event and innovation platform for the industry every three years. Due to the concept of the newly created global ‘interpack alliance’, interpack as its flagship has also obtained more exposure in the growth markets abroad, thereby attracting even more high-calibre experts to Düsseldorf.”
