It’s going to be a really big show, really big: The PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2011 trade show, produced by PMMI, will be at the Las Vegas (Nevada) Convention Center Sept. 26–28, 2011. At press time, the show was outpacing the 2009 Las Vegas show in every category. More than 1,600 exhibitors will be on site, and exhibit space has grown to more than 600,000 net square feet.

Special exhibit pavilions, including The Brand Zone, The Processing Zone, The Pharmaceutical Pavilion and The Reusable Packaging Pavilion, are sold out and jam-packed with exciting and innovative exhibits.

“We’re excited about the way PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2011 is shaping up,” says PMMI President & CEO Charles D. Yuska. “The Las Vegas show has grown considerably over the past 15-plus years, and now it has more to offer than ever. This year, we’re presenting a number of special features, many of them brand new.”

PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2011 attendees will enjoy a new standard for trade shows with these features and more:

• The opportunity to connect with more than 1,600 world-class suppliers and 25,000 colleagues - PACK EXPO Las Vegas is the largest packaging and processing trade show in North America this year

• Total systems solutions for precisely integrated production lines

• Cutting-edge technologies to apply in all vertical markets

• An enhanced conference program presented by key industry players

• Dedicated industry pavilions for confectionery, processing, reusable packaging, and pharmaceutical, and an expanded Brand Zone with materials that shape winning brands

• Market-specific lounges for networking and education on the show floor: The Candy Bar, The Baking/Snack Break and the Rx Lounge

• The premiere of the PACK EXPO Leadership Lecture series, with headliner Gen. Colin Powell
 
• The future of retailing and packaging, as envisioned by Clemson University

• Material ConneXion’s display of the newest packaging materials

• The Showcase of Packaging Innovations - 300 award-winning packages bound to inspire.

• The Sixth annual PACK EXPO Selects Competition

Get into the zones

New designated industry pavilions let attendees easily locate the solutions they need. These include:

The Baking–Snack Break

This is the place for the latest news and trends on packaging for the bakery and snack industries. Here you can keep tabs on this ever-changing market through news updates, product announcements, people on the move, and a soon-to-come interactive blog. Sponsored by Kliklok-Woodman.

The Processing Zone

Find innovative processing solutions for the food, baking and snack industries in this dedicated space. Plus, one out of five PACK EXPO exhibitors on the general show floor will also display processing solutions. That means hundreds of ideas. With packaging and processing under one roof, you can work with suppliers and manufacturers on total system solutions for truly powerful results.

Reusable Packaging Pavilion

See how choosing reusable pallets, hand-held containers, bulk containers, dunnage and other transport packaging solutions can raise your productivity and profitability. Learn how you can lower shipping and labor costs while enjoying better product protection and a more efficient flow of goods through distribution channels. Sponsored by the Reusable Packaging Association (RPA).

Food Safety Summit Resource Center

Gather and learn from leading industry Subject Matter Experts as the Food Safety Summit invites you to participate at the Food Safety Summit Resource Center, which will help manufacturers and processors respond to the many challenges they face on the job. It is sponsored by BNP Media.

Learn about the latest breakthroughs in food safety and gain valuable insight into potential solutions. It’s an opportunity to meet one on one each day with food safety experts. Look for the Food Safety Summit Resource Center in booth # S-6635 in the Processing Zone. For more information, contact Charles Wilson at wilsoncm@bnpmedia.com or 630-962-0078.

The Brand Zone-Containers & Materials that Shape Winning Brands

See the latest advances in package design for glass, plastic, metal and paperboard packaging, decorating and labeling techniques. The Brand Zone puts the spotlight on packaging technologies to help open innovation executives and brand managers launch new products.

The Showcase of Packaging Innovations

Sponsored by The Dow Chemical Company, this pavilion features award-winning packaging from around the world.

6th annual PACK EXPO Selects™ awards recognize best-in-class consumer packaging by PACK EXPO Las Vegas exhibitors.

Project 2020: The Consumer Experience focuses on the future of packaging with a design competition that forecasts upcoming trends is hosted by EskoArt; Booth #S5449.
   
The Confectionery Pavilion

Candy and snack producers can head to the Confectionery Pavilion for innovations answering your specific packaging and processing challenges. Find ways to enhance your equipment’s versatility, minimize changeover time, maximize convenience, guarantee freshness and more. Sponsored by the National Confectioners Association (NCA).

The launch of The Candy Bar lounge permits confectionery professionals to network and access resources within their market niche. It will include an “Ask the Expert” resource center and the Innovation Stage program, a series of live, 30-minute seminars.

Confectionery manufacturers and suppliers are also invited to a special networking reception hosted by PMMI and NCA in The Candy Bar lounge on Monday, September 26, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. You’ll find The Candy Bar lounge in Booth S-7000, within the Confectionery Pavilion in the Upper South Hall, and totaling more than 12,000 square feet of sweet opportunities.

Material ConneXion®

Material ConneXion®, a global leader in materials solutions, will bring its dynamic, interactive materials display to The Brand Zone Sept. 26-28 in Las Vegas.

Material ConneXion’s exhibit will introduce new ideas, showcase emerging trends and demonstrate the essential link between material innovation and design. The exhibit’s primary focus will be material innovations for the packaging industry, but will also offer ideas for cross-industry pollination by highlighting materials from all areas of design.

“Our interactive Innovation Lab will educate PACK EXPO visitors on the essential material concepts driving innovation today by allowing them to see, touch and experience the materials that are having the greatest impact on the design world,” says Alison Zingaro, Marketing and Communications Manager for Material ConneXion.

Material  ConneXion, with seven offices around the globe, works with designers and manufacturers to discover materials that will invigorate design, revolutionize industry and create more sustainable environments.  The company’s Materials Library is the world’s largest, housing over 5,000 commercially available materials, and its online database offers subscribers comprehensive technical descriptions & complete manufacturer contact information.


The AIM Expo and Conference at PACK EXPO

The Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility (AIM) is co-locating AIM Expo 2011 at PACK EXPO Las Vegas.

The AIM Expo conference program will include tracks on government, healthcare, manufacturing, mobile workforce and retail. “Auto ID in Packaging” and “Internet of Things,” two new sessions, will identify state-of-the-art applications and solutions for to improve operations, streamline production, reduce costs and enhance overall business processes.

The AIM Expo conference will complement the existing Conference at PACK EXPO program, which provides valuable insight into the trends affecting modern packaging and processing operations. PMMI has partnered with the Reusable Packaging Association (RPA), the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP), the international Society of Beverage Technologists (ISBT), and PMMI’s own Alliance for Innovation and Operational Excellence (AIOE) to deliver the expert educational experience attendees have come to expect from the Conference at PACK EXPO.

The conference will feature hot topics in processing and packaging, exploring subjects as diverse as Total Cost of Ownership and The FDA’s new Food Modernization Act over three days of sessions led by representatives from companies like Bush Brothers & Co. and Coca-Cola Co. 

Packaging Hall of Fame

Induction into the Packaging Hall of Fame is the packaging industry’s highest honor, recognizing a lifetime of innovation and achievement. These packaging leaders have dedicated themselves to the industry through expanding knowledge and volunteer leadership, and have personally advanced the field of packaging. Join PMMI in celebrating the induction of five career packaging professionals into the Packaging Hall of Fame Class of 2011: Lawrence C. Dull, MS, CPP; Arthur Gustafson; Victor Del Rosso; Thomas L. Schneider CPP; and M.H. “Pete” Wallace.

These five outstanding individuals will join a long list of career packagers in a ceremony that will be held Monday, September 26 at 4:15 p.m. in the Ballroom at the Las Vegas Hilton. Individual tickets for the reception and induction ceremony are $75 each.

Keynote speaker: Colin Powell

There will be plenty of audience members at attention listening to keynote speaker Colin Powell, former U.S. secretary of state and retired Army general. Powell will speak Tuesday Sept. 27 at 4:30 p.m. at the Las Vegas Convention Center on the topic of “Diplomacy: Persuasion, Trust & Values.”

DuPont and Morrison Container Handling Solutions are supporting the lecture as title sponsors. Dorner Mfg. Corp., Eastman Chemical Company and Fox IV Technologies also support Powell’s talk.

Single tickets are $125 or packages of 10 tickets are available for $1,000. A special reception, open to all ticket holders, will precede the speech at 3:30 p.m.

PMMI Education Foundation Golf Tourney

PGA Champions Tour golfer Curtis Strange will take part in the 2011 PMMI Education & Training Foundation Golf Tournament, an appearance sponsored by Kodak.

This year’s tournament, scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 25, at the Paiute Golf Resort in Las Vegas, will provide backing for student scholarships and continuing education for PMMI member company employees. The biennial event, first held in 1995, has funded some $350,000 in education and training to date. Schneider Electric is the tournament’s Gold Sponsor.


For more information about PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2011 or to register, visit www.packexpo.com