Maximize Your Time
at Pack Expo Las Vegas 2005

With more than 1,200 exhibitors occupying more than 500,000 net square feet of space, Pack Expo Las Vegas (September 26-28) will have plenty to offer package designers. With so much ground to cover, it will be challenging for attendees to see everything in three days — so preplanning and replanning are essential.

PMMI has launched My Pack Expo™, a unique software tool that intelligently mines the show's database of contacts, products, services, and conference sessions to generate a custom report tailored to the individual needs and interests of attendees — all before they ever leave for Las Vegas. Available free to all registered show attendees, this new program posts search results on each attendee's personal, password-protected My Pack Expo web page that they can access anytime. Every My Pack Expo site is secure and exclusive to each user.

To access this powerful service, package designers must first register for the exhibition, which can be done quickly and easily at www.packexpo.com. One of the biggest strengths of My Pack Expo is that users can set up appointments with exhibitors and even other attendees. Once both parties agree to schedule an appointment, contact information will be provided to each participant, using the secure My Pack Expo servers.

The My Pack Expo portal page automatically creates a custom Pack Expo Las Vegas visit list, specific to individual needs, three to four weeks prior to the show. Since this program is a web-based technology, each My Pack Expo page will be continuously updated as show dates approach. Schedule meetings, reschedule meetings, find and add Conference at Pack Expo sessions and get matched with the exhibitors who will best serve your needs.

Other features of the PackExpo.com website include help in preparing for your trip, with online registration, hotel and travel assistance, and visitor information about Las Vegas. The site's "Exhibitor Product News" section also offers attendees the chance to get a sneak preview of technologies to be featured at the show. Simply click on the "Show Information" button and scroll through "Latest News" to the "Exhibitor Products" tab to find the most recent updates.

The site also features a complete exhibitor list and show floor plans so visitors can locate suppliers and map out a floor route through the Convention Center. The site also has suppliers' Virtual Exhibits, allowing attendees to access product brochures, read company news and announcements, request a quote or more information, and contact company personnel.

Getting an education

The Conference at Pack Expo is a comprehensive, three-day program offering sessions organized into the following "tracks": Operations, Materials, Management, Security, and RFID. With four time periods each day and five concurrent sessions planned for each time slot, attendees can easily schedule individual seminars around other commitments.

Several technology pavilions are of particular interest to designers, such as the Containers & Materials Pavilion, with exhibits dedicated to the gamut of materials, such as plastics, resins, films, glass, metal, additives, coatings/treatments, rubber, textiles, and woven materials. Pack Expo Las Vegas will also feature popular pavilions from past shows, such as the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Pavilion and the Packaging Security Pavilion. First produced at Pack Expo in 2004, the Security pavilion will display leading packaging security technology companies, service providers and government stakeholders. Finally, don't forget to view the newest developments in food and beverage processing technology at the co-located Food Processing Machinery EXPO (FPM EXPO), sponsored and produced by the Food Processing Machinery Association (FPMA).

For more information, visit www.packexpo.com or contact PMMI at 4350 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 600, Arlington, VA 22203. Telephone: (703) 243-8555; Fax: (703) 243-8556; Email: expo@pmmi.org.