NCA Sponsors Sold-Out Confectionery Pavilion at PACK EXPO Int’l 2012

PMMI, the owner and producer of PACK EXPO International 2012 (McCormick Place, Chicago; October 28–31), announces The Confectionery Pavilion, sponsored by the National Confectioners Association (NCA), is sold out.

As the premier location for suppliers ready to meet the confectionery industry’s challenges, The Confectionery Pavilion will occupy more than 20,000 net square feet in the South Hall, and will feature the Candy Bar Lounge (Booth S-1283), a networking lounge for the entire confectionery industry. NCA is sponsoring The Candy Bar as well as the entire pavilion.

PACK EXPO International 2012 will welcome more than 46,000 attendees and 1,800-plus companies to its more than 1.1 million net square feet .The Confectionery Pavilion continues PACK EXPO’s customer-centric strategy, launched in 2011.

 “The Confectionery Pavilion will be a hub for confectioners’ processing and packaging solutions,” says Charles D. Yuska, president & CEO, PMMI. “NCA’s long history supporting the candy, chocolate and gum industries makes it the best group to help PACK EXPO and PMMI support the world’s leading candy and confection manufacturers in their search for effective manufacturing solutions.”

Confectionery is among the three vertical markets that PACK EXPO brought to the forefront in 2011, when PMMI first debuted the show’s customer-centric approach and launched the PACK EXPO Connected Communities, and it has been well served by PACK EXPO’s inclusion of processing solutions.

ASCO Numatics Sponsors Amazing Packaging Race at PACK EXPO Int’l 2012

PMMI announces ASCO Numatics will sponsor the Amazing Packaging Race for the second time. The fun and educational event pits teams of packaging students, from programs around the country, against each other in a race to gather points by completing tasks at specific PACK EXPO booths.

“Packaging is an important market for ASCO Numatics, and PACK EXPO is no doubt the premiere industry event,” says Robert W. Kemple Jr., executive vice president, sales and marketing–Americas, ASCO Numatics.

Using monies generated by sponsorships and fundraisers such as the PMMI Education & Training Foundation Golf Tournament at PACK EXPO Las Vegas, the PMMI Education & Training Foundation will finance travel scholarships for roughly 200 to 300 students, notes Maria Ferrante, vice president, education & workforce development, PMMI.

She adds that participating exhibitors will be asked to contribute $500 to the Foundation, which will support scholarships and other educational assistance for students at PMMI's partner schools in the United States and Canada.

 “Exhibitors who participate in the Amazing Packaging Race tell us their booth teams enjoy seeing the students’ enthusiasm and helping them to learn more about the industry they’re training to join. It’s a great way to expose the students to leading suppliers,” Ferrante says.

Kemple says ASCO’s Amazing Packaging Race sponsorship in 2011 laid the groundwork for their successful and continuing participation.

“Sponsoring the Amazing Packaging Race gave us an opportunity to participate in the industry on a new and very exciting level, while at the same time providing a forum for us to announce the winners of our own engineering scholarship before an audience of their peers. 2011 was our first sponsorship of the Amazing Packaging Race, and we will continue our sponsorship in 2012,” he says.

At PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2011, 44 students from nine schools competed, and 19 exhibiting companies took part in the Amazing Packaging Race. Participation is open to any of PMMI’s partner schools in the United States and Canada, and PACK EXPO 2012 exhibitors.