Many moons ago, in the mid '90s, I experienced my first mega trade show as a newly minted packaging journalist attending the beverage processing and packaging expo Drinktec in Munich.
It was Oktoberfest time, but beer and salted pretzels aside, nothing could have prepared me for the sheer scale of the show.
The throngs of people, the noise in the machinery halls, the flavours and fragrances in the ingredients zone – the vibrant colour and cacophony of it all collided to deliver a welcome assault on the senses.
Paper notebook and camera in hand, I trawled the halls and immersed myself in the technology of the day, spoke to international industry leaders and experts I would not otherwise have had the chance to meet, and attended seminars on trends and new product launches. All in one place, all in a few short, exhausting yet exhilarating days.
Although I did not realise it at the time, when I consider today the events and people that have shaped my career choices, this was indeed a watershed experience for me.
I cannot remember precisely what I reported on – sustainability was a thing, but not the huge movement of today; automation was in play, but there were no cobots in sight nor IoT connectivity; smart packaging technology had not yet emerged; and Industry 4.0 was not even a twinkle in engineers' eyes. What a long way forward we have come!
What I do remember, what stayed with me and compels me to write this, was the incontrovertible value of the in-person trade show experience.
Of course you know where I am going with this. We are almost on the eve of the AUSPACK 2022 trade show. For industry professionals involved in the processing and packaging industry, all roads should lead to Melbourne in May.
This will be the first major gathering of our industry, in one place, in three years. The excitement is palpable. Exhibitors are ready to demonstrate their innovations to manufacturers who are looking to bolster local capability and meet sustainability targets.
More than the technology on show (a snapshot of which you’ll find in our special AUSPACK Preview section starting on page 43 in the March/April issue of PKN) there’ll be the long-awaited physical presence of people to engage with, to learn from, to build relationships with over the course of four action-packed days.
The PKN team will be there, along with our colleagues from Food & Drink Business and Print21, bringing our multi-platform media hub to stand B120. Our collective fingers will be on the AUSPACK pulse, bringing you the show news across all our platforms – podcast, video, daily online briefings and the print report.
The world has changed in many ways since the 1990s, but the myriad benefits of attending industry trade shows remain. I look forward to seeing you in person at AUSPACK.
