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Packaging Summit Conference
Brings Together Industry's Best

The 2007 version of the Packaging Summit Expo and Conference hopes to build on the success of 2006 when it convenes May 15-17, 2007 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. The 2007 event will be even more multifaceted, comprised of an expo with more materials and containers innovations pertinent to real-world applications, as well as a wide range of contract packaging and services options.

The fully integrated conference program will analyze and address packaging drivers, new solutions and strategies, central packaging issues, and the results of exclusive research. Live, interactive demonstrations on the expo floor will "show you how it's done." The Conference program will be present educational opportunities for packaging professionals from senior managers to those with packaging management responsibility, concentrating on packaging innovation, consumer drivers, global influence, sustainability, and more.

The Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) will again be a major sponsor of the Packaging Summit Expo and Conference. According to Howard Leary CPP, IoPP President, the Packaging Summit Expo and Conference is an exceptional venue where packaging professionals can learn about the central issues influencing packaging today. "Last May's Packaging Summit conference program-with the participation of such companies as P&G, Colgate-Palmolive, Reckitt Benckiser, Johnson & Johnson, Nestle, Unilever and others-was an enormous success for IoPP," says Leary.

International awards programs

The Packaging Summit Expo and Conference will also be the new home for IoPP's prestigious AmeriStar Package Awards Reception, scheduled for May 15, 2007. In addition, the World Packaging Organization (WPO) will be holding its World Packaging Conference and WorldStar Package Awards Ceremony in conjunction with the Packaging Summit.

AmeriStar and WorldStar winners will be prominently displayed in the Packaging Summit Expo and Conference Hall of Packaging Excellence. For more information about the Packaging Summit Expo and Conference, visit www.pkgsummit.com or phone 262-782-1900.

Luxe Pack Plans to Expand Industry Penetration in 2007

The 19th Luxe Pack Monaco exhibition this past fall confirmed Luxe Pack's ability to bring together the key players of the luxury packaging industry, with the number of exhibitors and visitors on the rise. The 2006 results for all the Luxe Pack shows confirm the power and pertinence of the Luxe Pack exhibition to build up business and develop brand strategies on an international stage.

Visitors come to the exhibition to increase and optimize their development potential and to meet top experts to assist them with their projects. The main strength of Luxe Pack is in making the "right" contacts with visitors who represent leading European and international brands in the fields of cosmetics, perfume, wine and spirits, gourmet foods, etc.

The attendance figures can be analyzed in terms of quality, as 64% of the Monaco visitors were decision-makers such as CEOs, purchasing managers, and marketing managers. The first Luxe Pack Trends & Market Observer gave its vision of luxury market trends and presented the very first market survey ever conducted on luxury packaging. The four main trends identified were:

• Material becomes light as bottles and packages are permeated with the interplay of materials, colors, and forms, bathing the consumer in a warm glow.
• Designs are benefiting from increased protection and packaging is becoming a weapon to fight against counterfeiting. Not forgetting greater awareness, as the luxury industry and its packaging take position at the heart of environmental issues.
• At the heart of the relationship between the brand and the consumer, luxury products are increasingly attentive to details and customization in order to create a unique experience. This aspect is of major importance at a time when customers (the real experts) are primarily looking for closeness with the brands.

2007 Luxe Pack Events:
Luxe Pack New York: May 23 and 24, 2007
Luxe Pack Sao Paulo: October 3 and 4, 2007
Luxe Pack Monaco: October 23 to 26, 2007
Luxe Pack Shanghai: November 19 to 21, 2007

The luxury industry is targeting a younger audience that prefers the pleasure of the senses to the formalizing of the purchasing act. The packaging thus transforms the act of consumption into an enchanting surprise in order to rehabilitate the buying impulse.

These trends are totally focused on the consumer as a person and therefore convey optimism-even hope-and prove that luxury goods remain a solid point of reference to hold on to in our society which is sometimes too driven by competition. Still in the aim of assisting industry players on all markets with a high development potential on the medium and long terms, next year Luxe Pack will stage its first Luxe Pack Shanghai exhibition November 19 to 21, 2007.

Of course, Luxe Pack New York will return for its fifth edition in 2007, May 23 and 24 at The Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan. According to a survey of visitors conducted after the 2006 show, nearly 80% reported being very satisfied with meeting their primary objectives at Luxe Pack New York, most importantly to see new products, technologies, and packaging innovations and to meet new suppliers. During the show, 65% of respondents reported being involved in a product launch, with an average budget of $450,000, and 82% of those attended Luxe Pack to meet new suppliers for this purpose.

The Luxe Pack "Art of Packaging Award" for 2007, sponsored by the Pratt Institute, will again be a part of the Luxe Pack New York show. Clinique will be presented with the prestigious award at the Annual Black-Tie Dinner Gala on Tuesday, May 22, 2007, at NYC's University Club. Early reservations are being accepted for this event, which benefits the Marc Rosen Scholarship for Graduate Package Design at Pratt Institute. For information and reservations please call 212-925-2507.