Record attendance at Labelexpo Americas 2012

Labelexpo Americas 2012 attracted a record attendance of 14,335 label and package printing professionals as it returned to Chicago in September – a 12 percent rise on 2010’s show.

The exhibition and conference occupied 185,000 square feet, an increase of 8.5 percent on the previous event. It also boasted 400 local and international exhibitors including 94 companies which were participating for the first time. By the time the exhibition closed, the show organizers reported that 81.44 percent of stand space for the 2014 edition had already been booked.

As well as being a platform for demonstrating the latest working machinery, Labelexpo Americas also provided visitors with an informative conference program. Over 1,000 delegates attended presentations on a variety of topics including global trends, nanographic printing, digital business models, the environment, security technology for brand protection and the future of flexo printing.

Labelexpo Americas 2012 also saw the debut of several new feature areas. The Package Printing Workshop showcased the opportunities digital pre-press and printing can bring to folding carton production, plastic bucket decoration and high quality tubes. The Laser Die Cutting Workshop also ran daily comparisons of four different laser finishing systems cutting four distinct label jobs.

Increased environmental awareness was also high on the agenda with the introduction of new feature area Ecovillage, and, in a printing industry first, the waste matrix from press demonstrations and feature areas was collected for recycling. With the help of Greenwood Fuels and Channeled Resources, 42,200lbs of waste matrix was collected and compacted ready to be turned into fuel pellets.

Labelexpo managing director Roger Pellow said: ‘We would like to thank everyone for their unfailing support in helping make Labelexpo Americas 2012 so hugely successful. As we saw at Labelexpo Europe and Asia last year, the market appears to be recovering with converters and printers investing in new technology and materials.

‘This year’s show exceeded all expectations. The exhibitors and attendees that I spoke to were all enthusiastic about the exhibition and what it offered them in terms of value for their business, whether it be educational content or buying, selling and networking opportunities.

‘The show floor had a vibrant atmosphere as business was being done and initial feedback suggests that many presses were sold to buyers from North and South America and even Asia. As the largest show in the Americas, there really is no better place to see the latest technology in action and find out how to maximize new opportunities for growth and success.’

Pictured: Crowds gather at the Ecovillage feature area

Click here for more coverage of Labelexpo Americas 2012 on L&L.com.

Click here to watch video interviews conducted during Labelexpo Americas 2012.