Whether your goal is to advance sustainability, food safety or efficiency, PACK EXPO International 2012, Oct. 28-31, at McCormick Place in Chicago, will offer plenty of resources. The show, sponsored by the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers’ Institute (PMMI), Reston, Va., will house more than 1,300 exhibitors in more than 1 million net sq. ft. of space, so promises to be the largest event for packaging and processing innovation in North America this year.

PMMI described some of the show’s many features during a press event in mid-March. Exhibitors and attendees will find that the show is taking a customer-centric approach to Chicago for the first time, says Charles Yuska, PMMI president and CEO. The new tack means your specific needs are taken into consideration. They will be used as the primary drivers for the features of PACK EXPO, says Yuska.

In addition to a Baking and Snack lounge, this year, “we’ll continue the focus on the pharmaceutical, confectionery and baking and snack sectors, but we’ll also add a new market to the mix: Beverage,” he adds.
“Dedicated networking lounges and on-floor education sessions will give you a wealth of opportunities to connect with your peers and leading suppliers, face-to-face. The Pharmaceutical Pavilion and the Confectionery Pavilion will make finding the equipment and materials that suit your particular needs even easier. And we’ll have details on our partnerships with the associations and organizations that serve your markets. In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be working with them to develop show features and education programming.”

Along with the baking and snack, beverage, confectionery and pharmaceutical markets, features such as The Processing Zone and The Brand Zone will be available to help hone your search for new technologies, Yuska says. “Additionally, PACK EXPO Green will guide you to sustainable solutions.”

Registration is open at Packexpo.com, and is half price for a limited time. You can also get a head start on identifying innovation to advance your business by participating in PACK EXPO Connected Communities, a year-round forum for packaging and processing in all sectors, with special communities dedicated to the confectionery, baking and snack and pharmaceutical sectors. More information and registration details on PACK EXPO International 2012 is available at www.packexpo.com.