Big hitters to speak at Packaging Innovations NEC 2016
A prestigious line-up of packaging and brand professionals has been unveiled by Easyfairs, the organising company of the co-located Packaging Innovations, Empack and Label&Print shows.
This CPD-accredited two-day programme will run throughout the event, which takes place on February 24-25, 2016 at Birmingham’s NEC. Keynote speakers for the shows’ Learnshops programme include Weetabix, Innocent Drinks, Kraft Heinz, Britvic, Taylors of Harrogate, John Lewis, Wilkos, JML Group, The Body Shop, SABMiller and Quorn Foods.
These major players will draw on the very latest thinking, technological trends and real-life examples as they address the top industry concerns faced by many packaging experts. Gerry Sherwood, event director for Easyfairs’ UK Packaging Portfolio, said: “The Learnshops programme aims to cover the full packaging spectrum, providing visitors with practical and pioneering insight that just might help their business or packaging idea evolve.”
Keynote Theatre
To explore the challenge of the skills gap in today’s modern day workplaces, a panel of experts will contest ‘Closing the packaging skills gap’ and how do skills across the packaging supply chain need to evolve to meet these changing needs.
Food waste is another hot topic, and Marcel Keuenhof, packaging expert and waste reductionist at Kraft Heinz, will be sharing his insights on ‘Combating food waste through packaging’. Mike Swain, from Britvic, will also look at ‘overcoming the challenges of packaging innovation’, and Conrad Hart-Brooke, of Taylors of Harrogate, will explore the year ahead and provide ‘packaging insights for a competitive edge’.
Other highlights will include an interactive debate on ‘Packaging for an omni-channel world’, exploring how packaging professionals can deliver requirements for robust, cost-effective solutions, that also support brand image and sustainability objectives. Also, there will be talks on ‘open innovation and leveraging your network’ and ‘packaging challenges for retail’.
Packaging Innovation Learnshops
Elsewhere, the topic of convenience shopping will be addressed by Adam Margolin, former head of marketing with SPAR and McColl’s, and Lynn Butterworth, procurement manager at Quintessential Brands, will discuss ‘how suppliers can help to drive packaging innovation in brands’.
There will also be discussions on real-life integration of brand, packaging and business success and how strategy, insights and technology come together at the front end of innovation to help get packaging right the first time, reducing lead times, ensuring faster time to market and increased ROI. Bringing the entire Learnshops programme to a close will be a talk on ‘the Jamie Oliver Story’ on ‘redesigning the visual identity of a famous brand for global markets’.
These independent seminars and case studies are selected to provide inspiration and practical guidance on packaging and print issues. To see the full Learnshops line-up and to register for free entry to the exhibition please, you can visit the EasyFairs website.