Labelexpo rebrands as Loupe

Labelexpo will rebrand to Loupe starting in 2026, as the event organizers move toward a broader embrace of additional printed packaging segments, while maintaining its focus on the label market.

The label converting industry is undergoing a transformation, creating ‘one-stop’ package printing operations that encompass the full range of packaging formats. Label converters have already diversified into flexible packaging and are identifying new opportunities in folding cartons. Loupe Global events will reflect that change.

‘You can see it all over the show floor at Labelexpo. Label converters are not just converting labels anymore. They’re adding cartons and flexible packaging into their portfolios,’ says Loupe Global managing director Jade Grace. ‘The show needed to evolve alongside the industry.’ 

Grace says the decision to change the name did not come lightly. The organizers had been exploring that direction for years, but the conversations gained further momentum after the Europe 2023 event, when over 25 percent of visitors had registered an interest in folding carton and 40 percent in flexible packaging. Grace says those numbers had been trending upward in the years prior.

“One thing should be perfectly clear: Labelexpo isn’t dead; but the event is going through a rebirth with labels at the center of it”

In fact, Andy Thomas-Emans, strategic director for Informa’s Labels Group (the company owns both Labelexpo/Loupe and Labels & Labeling), says the name change was years in the making.

‘It seems amazing now, but we actually first considered changing the name of Labelexpo back in the early 2000s when Comco ProGlide MSP in-line flexo presses were converting shrink sleeves, flexible packaging and folding cartons,’ Thomas-Emans says. ‘It was clear even then that this was the future, but the labels industry was more fragmented, mostly small to medium-sized family businesses that were making great money from labels.

‘Today, that landscape has changed,’ he continues. ‘Today, we see widespread consolidation with multi-site groups often incorporating labels, flex pack and folding carton operations. And in a fiercely competitive labels market with lower levels of growth, label converters are finding flexible packaging produces higher margins and perfectly complements their label business.’

Further, the name change was widely supported by the industry. Labelexpo hired a brand agency to conduct in-depth research with industry stakeholders, including suppliers, converters and trade associations. 

‘The results came up overwhelmingly in favor of a rebrand, much, actually, to the surprise of the management team,’ Grace says. ‘Since then, we’ve done a lot of work with branding agencies, internally, with stakeholders and associations.

‘One thing should be perfectly clear: Labelexpo isn’t dead; but the event is going through a rebirth with labels at the center of it. Label printing and converting is still at the very core and foundation of our group, so I don’t want the industry to lose sight of that.’

Thomas-Emans adds: ‘The idea behind the Loupe rebrand is not to become a “print everything” show like Drupa, or a packaging show like Fachpack or PackExpo. We are focused on how the core print technology developed for the labels industry – in-line, digital and hybrid – that will disrupt the flexible packaging and folding carton converting industries. You will not see a CI, gravure or offset press at Loupe, as we are not trying to compete at that end of the market. We are all about short-run, added value production of labels, flexible packaging and folding cartons.’

Market changes

Over 25 percent of exhibitors at Labelexpo Europe 2025 have portfolios that reach across labels, flexible packaging and folding carton sectors. 

Flexible packaging is no stranger to Labelexpo shows. For years, it has been largely seen as a ‘natural evolution’ for the label industry that leverages a label converters’ existing strengths – adaptability, diversity and speed – and puts them in a position to serve one of the packaging industry’s fastest growing segments. In more recent years, mid-web machinery from both flexo and digital manufacturers has become commonplace.

‘By leveraging their existing assets, embracing new substrates and aligning with global trends, [label converters] can unlock new revenue streams, deepen customer relationships and future-proof their businesses,’ says Chris Ellison, managing director of OPM Group, a UK-based converter who pioneered the move into flexible packing nearly 20 years ago.

Ellison also served as an Industry Ambassador for Labelexpo Europe 2025. ‘The flexible packaging market is no longer a distant opportunity; it’s a present-day imperative. For label converters ready to innovate, diversify and grow, the path forward is clear and flexible.’

The global flexible packaging sector is growing at a faster rate than the label sector. It’s currently valued at about 250-300 billion USD globally, and growing at a rate of 4.7 percent, according to figures from Grand View Research.

It’s a segment that’s dominated by large, established converting companies, whose scale makes them less agile to respond to shorter production runs, SKU proliferation and the rise of challenger brands; all areas in which label converters excel.

Flexible formats like pouches and single-serve sachets are steadily replacing rigid containers on store shelves, driven primarily by their sustainability and customer convenience advantages. While flexible packaging is not inherently recyclable, there are products on the market for recyclable or compostable pouches. Further, flexible packaging requires significantly less environmental resources to ship and produce, compared to the rigid containers they are replacing.

Today’s consumers also prioritize convenience. Flexible formats like resealable pouches and single-serve sachets are in high demand across food, beverage, personal care and pharmaceutical sectors. These formats align perfectly with the capabilities of narrow-web presses, which excel at short-run, high-mix production.

“Sustainability regulation, SKU proliferation and rising energy costs have brought these capabilities to the forefront for a much wider audience, especially label converters looking to diversify”

Folding carton, meanwhile, has been a relatively newer development, with the first signs of folding carton production appearing at Labelexpo Europe 2023. By 2025, Edale was the first and only manufacturer to show in-line flexo converting for folding carton at the show.

In-line carton production isn’t new, it’s just newly relevant, says Will Parker, a packaging executive and Labelexpo folding carton ambassador.

‘In-line carton production isn’t a new concept,’ Parker says. ‘For over 15 years, food-to-go packaging has quietly evolved using in-line flexo platforms to produce folded, glued and barrier-coated or lined fiberboard trays and wraps.’

He continues: ‘Likewise, the beauty and personal care sectors have long relied on short-run, embellished carton production using hybrid workflows to create rigid boxes, sleeves and gift packaging often produced in line with hot foil, embossing and die-cutting in a single pass.’

What’s new, Parker says, is the urgency of the conversation.

‘Sustainability regulation, SKU proliferation and rising energy costs have brought these capabilities to the forefront for a much wider audience, especially label converters looking to diversify.’

History

Labelexpo was launched in 1980 with the inaugural Labelex 80 in London, featuring 44 label industry suppliers. Since then, the portfolio has expanded across the globe, supported by editorial from Labels & Labeling magazine. The magazine will not be rebranding (see boxout).

In 2023, Labelexpo Global Series joined Informa, the world’s largest B2B event organizer, with more than 800 brands and 14,000 employees across 30 countries.

The ability to connect with multiple industries across complementary Informa events in the healthcare and pharma, food and nutrition, beauty and aesthetics sectors, provides sponsors, exhibitors and visitors access to wider knowledge and business opportunities, organizers say.

Loupe’s Grace continues: ‘We are going to carry on the same way as Labelexpo has done for over 40 years. Labelexpo is so successful because of the people in the industry. I feel we are kind of the guardians of this platform, and we’re always trying to adapt to what the industry wants and needs, and Loupe will be no different. We are embracing a wider remit that is already part of our industry. We’re just recognizing that formally.’

The first event under the Loupe moniker will be Loupe Americas 2026, when the event returns to the Donald E Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, from Sept 15-17, 2026. Labelexpo Asia, which takes place in Shanghai from Dec 2-5 this year, will be the last under the Labelexpo name.

What’s in a name?

The name Loupe represents a common magnifying tool found in printshops. A loupe is used to inspect print quality and detail up close.

For event organizers, LOUPE as an acronym stands for ‘Labels & OUter Packaging Embellishment’ and represents attention to detail, clarity, precision and craftsmanship.

‘We’ve really thought long and hard about the name, and

I think Loupe really honors the heritage of our industry,’ Grace says. ‘To us, a loupe symbolizes attention to detail, clarity and insight, all of that really characterize our industry so well.’

Labels & Labeling retains name and branding

Labels & Labeling, which is owned by the same parent company, Informa PLC, will not be rebranding alongside the events.

‘Labels & Labeling has been the trusted voice of the global label industry for more than 45 years, and our strength comes from a clear focus on the narrow- and mid-web converter and supporting ecosystem.

‘While we applaud Loupe and understand the decision to rebrand, we will continue to cover the adjacent packaging sectors in the context of how it impacts the world of labels,’ says Chelsea McDougall, editor of Labels & Labeling magazine. ‘Preserving the magazine’s name ensures that the Labels & Labeling continues that legacy, while supporting the broader vision of the global Loupe events.’