Packaging Digest

Exhibitors move to final preparation stages for interpack 2011

Preparations for interpack 2011, which is taking place from May 12 to 18 in Düsseldorf, Germany, are now moving into the final busy stages. The show organizers, Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, report that approximately 2,700 exhibitors from roughly 60 countries are expected. These packaging and process solution providers will again be occupying all 19 halls of the Düsseldorf exhibition center. 

Interpack 2011 is presenting packaging and process solutions for companies from the areas of food and beverages, confectionery and bakery products, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, non-food consumer goods, industrial goods and related services plus packaging materials and their manufacture.

The lion's share of hall space - 10 halls - has been booked by companies supplying processes and machines for packaging, followed by packaging materials and manufacture in more than four halls. Processes and machines for confectionery and bakery products have grown since interpack 2008, with companies from this segment completely filling halls one through four. Individual exhibitors from all categories will be occupying space in the outdoor exhibition grounds.

Special themes: innovative strategies and creative stand design
Visitors to interpack 2011 not only can view products and processes from a great number exhibitors around the globe, but also exhibitions built on innovative special themes. 

InnovationsParc Packaging 2011 is built on the theme of "Quality of Life" is presenting an all-embracing concept directed at the individual. This, the show company says, correlates directly with consumer behavior and is thus highly relevant to the packaging sector, branded goods manufacturers and retailers. Quality of Life finds expression in the five dimensions of Meaning, Health, Identity, Simplicity and Aesthetics. At the special show, these dimensions serve in each case as a shop motto. Together, these shops with a central lecture space make up the oval stand of InnovationsParc Packaging.

This special show has been developed in cooperation with our partners the European Retail Institute (EHI), Pan-European Brand Design Association (PDA), the Zukunftsinstitut (institute of the future). One of the hallmarks of InnovationsParc Packaging is that the individual shop designs are the result of cooperation with companies at different stages along the value chain and are directly tied to the shop motto. At the Health shop, for example, a "Dr. Happy-Store" tailored to the LOHAS target group is being created with suitable packaging solutions. And at the Identity shop, the "identify me" concept will be showing solutions, among other things, from the spheres of Augmented Reality, Enhanced Packaging, Performance Packaging and RFID. The other shops are the 24/7 convenience shop (Simplicity), a shop concept under the motto of Green Sense (Meaning) and the design store Birds of Paradise (Aesthetics). A complete list of the total of almost 50 companies and associations involved in InnovationsParc Packaging can be found at www.interpack.com

Another special theme at interpack 2011 is the Metal Packaging Plaza, which is being presented with an eye-catching stand design. The new meeting place for the international metal packaging sector and its supplier industries is also visually dominated by metal. A metal sculpture suspended from the ceiling illustrates the stand motto of "infinity". 

The core subjects of this special theme are sustainability, safety/security and convenience as well as innovations in the field of metal packages. Some 40 companies are taking part. At the heart of the Metal Packaging Plaza is an information platform with a forum, bar lounge and meeting point. This special show of Messe Düsseldorf is supported by German Metal Packaging Association (VMV) and Empac, the European body representing the interests of metal package manufacturers.

Visitors to interpack 2011 can also look forward to the exhibition on the subject of Save Food in the pavilion between Halls 10 and 16. It is presenting the results of studies conducted in advance of the fair by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on the subject of global food loss, as well as examples of best practices in the pavilion's central area. This area is flanked by the contributions of companies and associations, including Bosch Packaging Technology, Multivac, Metro Cash & Carry, the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) and the European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers (FEFCO). Trade fair visitors can also take advantage of a sustainable catering strategy with a 150 metre long table under a tent construction. This directly adjoins the Save Food pavilion.

Advance tickets for the event can be purchased online for a discount. For example, a three-day eTicket costs 99 € when purchased in advance and 120 € when purchased at the site during the show.To enable attendees to bypass the waiting area, eTickets ordered online can be printed at home and will be converted to into badges at the turnstiles on show site.

An entrance ticket also provides an attendee free use of all public transport within the Rhine-Ruhr regional network (VRR) of Düsseldorf, including the railway system (standard class, on trains not requiring supplements and in conjunction with either a national ID card or passport).