From consumer psychology and luxury to regulation, design and breakthrough innovation, London Packaging Week is to host its biggest-ever conference programme when the event returns on 16 & 17 September at Excel.
Rather than organising an education programme around sectors, the London Packaging Week 2026 conference has been built around the questions businesses are wrestling with every day. This recognises how packaging now sits at the intersection of creativity, commerce, engineering, sustainability, regulation and consumer behaviour.
Build brands. Justify higher prices. Navigate regulation. Reduce environmental impact. Improve accessibility. Unlock operational efficiencies. Create products people love.
Today’s packaging teams are expected to do all of that at once.
That’s why this year’s London Packaging Week conference programme looks very different from those of just a few years ago.
Taking place on 16 & 17 September at Excel London, London Packaging Week 2026 has put together its most comprehensive conference agenda to date and is bringing together more than 90 speakers from global brands, retailers, policymakers, design consultancies, material innovators and sustainability organisations.
This year’s conference has been built around the questions businesses are wrestling with every day, recognising that packaging now sits at the intersection of creativity, commerce, engineering, sustainability, regulation and consumer behaviour.
How will tomorrow’s consumers reshape today’s brands?
Consumers haven’t simply become more price-conscious. They’ve become more selective.
Value is no longer measured by cost alone. It is shaped by trust, experience, sustainability, convenience and emotional connection, forcing brands to rethink what successful packaging really looks like.
Those changing expectations will be explored by Greg Clayton (Ipsos), Chris Sanderson (The Future Laboratory), Nicki Morley (Kantar) and Jono Wylie (eatbigfish), whose sessions examine everything from the changing meaning of value to the consumer trends and cultural shifts reshaping tomorrow’s brands.
The brands that understand changing expectations first will be the ones that define the next decade.
What does luxury look like in a more conscious world?
Luxury packaging has always been about creating desire.
Today, it must also justify materials, demonstrate purpose and reflect changing consumer values without losing the emotional magic that made luxury desirable in the first place.
Charlotte Keesing (Walpole), Piera Toniolo (Dolce & Gabbana Beauty), Hannah Ogg (Compass Box Whisky) and Rachel McKee (L’Occitane Group) will explore how premium brands are balancing heritage, storytelling, sustainability and changing consumer expectations without losing the emotional appeal that defines luxury.
The future of luxury isn’t about having more.
It’s about making every detail matter more.
How do you prepare for regulation that’s already arriving?
The packaging industry no longer needs another explanation of what’s changing.
It needs practical answers about how to implement those changes successfully.
As EPR, PPWR, labelling requirements and producer responsibility continue to reshape the industry, the conversation is moving from policy to delivery.
Esther Carter (PackUK), Julian Hunt (Exchange for Change), Andy Bagnall (British Soft Drinks Association), Victoria Brownlie MBE (British Beauty Council), Jude Allan (OPRL) and Jon Brookes (Ecosurety) will share perspectives from across the value chain, bringing together policymakers, industry bodies, compliance specialists and organisations helping businesses prepare for change.
The biggest challenge is no longer understanding regulation.
It’s putting it into practice.
Can great design still create competitive advantage?
Packaging design has become one of business’s most strategic disciplines.
Great design is no longer judged simply by how a pack looks on shelf. It is expected to tell a story, improve usability, strengthen sustainability, justify premium pricing and create lasting brand distinction.
Creative leaders including Alex Center (CENTER), Steve Honour (Diageo), Claire Hoe (Aura Global), Cathal Gillen (Distinctive Bat), Alexie Sommer (URGE Collective) and Carl Fisher (Doodle Club), will explore how design is helping brands launch new products, solve sustainability challenges, unlock creativity and deliver stronger commercial outcomes.
The best packaging doesn’t just capture attention; it engages.
It earns it.
Where will the next breakthrough come from?
The biggest innovations rarely happen in isolation.
They happen when different disciplines, industries and perspectives collide.
This year’s programme reflects that shift, bringing together global brands, entrepreneurs, material innovators and creative thinkers to explore the ideas that could shape packaging’s next chapter.
Francisco Nogueira (Coca-Cola) and Sam Lucking (Unhidden) will present the UK premiere of the Schweppes Skittle Evolution Bottle, while Craig Sterling (MarinaTex) and Arianna Broderick (HairGym) demonstrate how fresh thinking is emerging through new materials, entrepreneurship and unexpected collaborations.
Tomorrow’s breakthrough probably won’t come from doing one thing better.
It will come from connecting ideas that have never met before.
Casey McHugh, senior conference & community manager at Easyfairs, said: “The programme tells a story that’s much bigger than the number of speakers we’ve brought together.
“Packaging has become one of the few business disciplines where marketing, innovation, design, sustainability, procurement, engineering, operations and regulation all come together around the same decisions. That means the conversations have become broader, more strategic and more collaborative than ever before.
“That’s exactly what we’ve reflected in this year’s programme. Whether visitors are trying to understand changing consumer expectations, prepare for new legislation, rethink luxury, explore breakthrough materials or unlock better design, they’ll find people facing the same challenges and sharing practical experience they can take straight back into their own organisations.”
Alongside more than 90 conference sessions, visitors will discover over 220 exhibitors, the Pentawards Festival, the Innovation Awards, live demonstrations and networking opportunities spanning luxury, beauty, premium drinks and FMCG.
Whatever question you’re trying to answer this year, chances are someone at London Packaging Week is asking it too. More importantly, someone else may already have found the answer.
Registration to attend London Packaging Week 2026 is free for industry professionals and includes access to the full conference programme, exhibition and networking events.
London Packaging Week 2026 takes place 16 & 17 September at Excel.
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