Small is the new big. Brown is the new black. You’ve heard them all, no doubt. Constantly changing consumer, design and marketing trends are enough to keep even the most savvy brand marketer on his toes; and the most difficult challenge can be separating the long- from short-term shifts.

With that in mind, I’d like to welcome you to our first Trends Issue, a cover-to-cover examination of how the next wave of trends will affect brand packaging. In addition to our cover story, we’ve assembled a host of supporting features to provide depth of coverage, so be sure to save this special issue for reference year-round.

And on the subject of trends with some staying power, we’re pleased to announce the dates for our fifth annual conference, Packaging that Sells V: Where Design + Strategy Meet. The 2007 conference will be held Thursday, October 4, and Friday, October 5, in Chicago at The Drake Hotel. As in years past, the conference will feature dynamic presentations from leading brand owners and marketers in diverse industry segments ranging from food and beverage to cosmetics and personal care to consumer electronics.

Packaging that Sells attendees are also invited to visit BRANDPACKAGING’s Design Gallery, a hands-on showcase of the year’s 50 most innovative packages. Last year’s Design Gallery featured such innovations as Coke’s M5 series of aluminum bottles.

Also returning to the conference this year will be the Futuristic Packaging Showcase, produced by BRANDPACKAGING magazine. As part of this effort, we enlist leading brand identity, package design and prototyping firms to offer brand marketers a glimpse into the future of packaging strategy and design. The fruits of their labor, which our conference attendees were able to view as 3-D prototypes for the first time last year, are nothing short of incredible.

Now if you’ll indulge me one last prediction…we have an exciting 2007 planned for BRANDPACKAGING, and we hope you’ll join us on the journey.