Labelexpo Americas records largest show to date

Labelexpo Americas 2018 closed its doors as the largest edition of the show to date, with an impressive amount of new exhibitors and visitors from key markets in the region.

Labelexpo Americas 2018 played host to a number of product launches as well as product introductions to the US market, including the new Mark Andy P9E, P7E and P5E presses

Labelexpo Americas is the region's largest dedicated trade show for the label and package printing industry. Labelexpo Americas 2018 hosted a total of 487 exhibitors, up from 455 two years before, across the biggest floorspace yet at 203,642 sq ft. Almost 30 percent of exhibitors  at this year’s show were new. During the course of the three-day show an increase in attendees to 16,413 from 86 countries included a 95 percent increase in the number of attendees from Latin America versus the 2016 edition of Labelexpo Americas. Further, day three, traditionally a quieter day, saw over 11 percent more visitors than on the same day in 2016.

Labelexpo Americas 2018 played host to a number of product launches as well as product introductions to the US market. This included: the new Mark Andy P9E, P7E and P5E presses; Xeikon’s entry-level label printing and converting option, Label Discovery; Epson’s L-6534 UV LED digital press; Grafisk Maskinfabrik’s fourth generation of its DC330Mini converting machine; and AB Graphic’s new ILC760 in-line coating machine

Other important innovations seen on the show floor included: Avery Dennison’s heat sealable reclosure technology; Flint Group’s portfolio of food compliant inks for short-run flexible packaging; Phoseon Technology’s FireJet FJ605; Kodak’s Flexcel NX Ultra Solution; and GEW’s E4C UV curing system.

A number of deals were signed for equipment sales on the show floor.

The event also coincided with the formalizing and extension of a number of partnerships in the supply chain, including Durst and Omet's relationship in North America, and that of Edale and Fujifilm for distribution of the UK manufacturer's equipment in the Americas. INX was also sounding out potential partners for its NW340 digital label press on the show floor. 

Tasha Ventimiglia, Labelexpo Americas event director, said: ‘The tremendous feedback we’ve had from exhibitors and visitors alike at this year’s Labelexpo Americas demonstrates that there’s a real momentum in the industry right now, and that was reflected in the buyer’s mood, with numerous sales achieved on the show floor and a strong international focus. This year’s theme, “Explore your Future”, really was evident, with more fascinating innovations than ever before providing even more choice for buyers and a significant increase in exhibitors.

‘It really shows that press manufacturers and the industry supply chain are upping their game. The Automation Arena and TLMI Ecovillage proved to be huge hits, with many packed out demonstrations on the show floor, and are further proof that the industry continues to evolve.’

Ventimiglia added: ‘This show is very much about the visitor experience and it was fantastic to see this pay dividends with 140 exhibitors and 800 attendees opting in to our brand new Label Connections 1:1 matching program, and all attendees using our lead retrieval touch NFC badges offering for the very first time. These really helped connect suppliers and buyers more effectively than ever before.

‘The continued rise in exhibitor numbers and the increasing interest from Latin American visitors, alongside the rebook rate for our 2020 show [standing at 83 percent], are testament to Labelexpo Americas’ unrivalled quality and variety. All of these reaffirm Labelexpo Americas’ position as the number one label and package printing show in the Americas.’

Read Labels & Labeling issue 5, 2018 for a comprehensive review of Labelexpo Americas 2018, covering press technology developments, materials, inks, workflow and more