REGISTRATION has opened for Packaging Innovations & Empack 2027.
The event, which attracted 8,021 unique visitors, more than 500 exhibitors, and representatives from over 3,000 brands last year, returns to the NEC Birmingham from February 24-25. Under the theme Innovation in Practice, the next instalment of the show aims to connect the industry’s biggest questions with the people, technologies and expertise capable of answering them.
Sema Tezel Basbug, head of marketing at Packaging Innovations & Empack, said, “The packaging industry is not short of ideas. The challenge is working out which ideas can make a meaningful difference and how to put them into practice. Can a new material run on existing machinery? Can an innovation improve performance as well as sustainability? Can it meet regulatory requirements? Can it be produced at the right cost and at the scale a business needs?
“Those are the questions behind Innovation in Practice. We want to create an environment where people can interrogate innovation, learn from those already implementing it and leave with greater confidence about what could work within their own business.”
Confirmed speakers so far include Youssef Riad (senior engineering product manager at Mars); Jane Skelton (head of packaging innovation & creative at Nichols); Toby Horne (VP at Siemens); Vinicius Sales (global design leader at PepsiCo); Emil Stickland (co-founder of Kocktail); Michael Privette (chief development officer at the Arthritis Foundation); and Raj Kumar (global packaging lead at HelloFresh).
The exhibitor line-up features big names such as Amcor, Mondi, Aptar, Coppice Alupack and Smith Anderson. They will be joined by a host of first-time exhibitors, including Pirlo, PackLab, Novatec, Eurofilm Mantzaris and TemperPack Technologies.
Across the exhibition floor, a series of new and expanded experiences are designed to bring Innovation in Practice to life. The new Advice Clinic will offer one-to-one access to industry experts, giving visitors a dedicated space to discuss specific challenges, explore potential solutions and identify their next steps. Elsewhere, Regulation in Practice will bring together Pack UK, UK Packaging PRO and industry experts to examine what evolving policy and compliance requirements mean for packaging design, sourcing and production.
Discovery Tours will help first-time visitors and SMEs navigate the event and identify relevant innovations and suppliers, while an enhanced Exhibitor Innovation Gallery will showcase standout materials, technologies and packaging developments.
Empack Tour 2.0 will demonstrate how solutions can address real manufacturing challenges, while the refreshed Production Line Stage – formerly the Supply Chain Stage – will examine smarter manufacturing, automation, and operational performance. The Smart Packaging Zone will explore opportunities emerging from connected, intelligent, data-led packaging.
The Future Trailblazer Awards will also return, with a new Mentor of the Year category recognising those supporting the next generation. Pitch the Co-Packers, delivered in partnership with the BCMPA, is also back, connecting start-ups with the co-packing expertise needed to scale.
Sema Tezel Basbug added, “Bringing the whole packaging journey together matters. Packaging Innovations explores what is possible, Empack focuses on how it can be delivered, and Contract Pack & Fulfilment helps businesses understand how they can scale. Our ambition for 2027 is simple: come with a question, a problem or an idea and leave closer to an answer.”
