Roger Pellow: Packaging is key

A particular highlight of the first Label Summit Africa, held in March in Cape Town, was the high number of brand owners and designers in attendance.

Brand owners and designers represented 15 percent of visitors, and their presence was also strongly felt in the event’s conference program. Panel discussion brought together leading names from the retail and wine industries – Woolworths, Clicks and Shoprite; and Cellar, Boer & Brit and Haskell Vineyards.

One attendee identified packaging as ‘the key customer touch point’, saying that without it ‘all surrounding marketing activity is wasted’.

With 303 attendees, the two-day conference boasted an excellent mix of technology presentations as well as printer, designer and brand owner panels. The event also hosted a table top exhibition, with 38 exhibitors.

It brought together the entire label industry from all aspects of the supply chain – proving to be a very educational and enlightening two days for the industry.

The brand owner theme continued with a wine blending afternoon at Zevenwacht winery – where teams blended their own wine in a competition to win the title of ‘the best wine of the day’.

The event will return to Cape Town in 2014.

Roger Pellow
Managing director
Tarsus Labels and Packaging Group