Labelexpo Europe Celebrates Largest Show in 33-yr History
- Published: October 03, 2013, By Yolanda Simonsis
Labelexpo Europe 2013, which took place on September 24-27 at the Brussels Expo in Brussels, Belgium, boasted of the largest show at 31,000 sq m in its 33-year history. The show attracted 11% more visitors than in 2011 with 31,795 attendees from 158 countries (up from 123 in 2011) with 600 exhibitors (550 in 2011).
Show organizer Tarsus Group Ltd. reports more than 150 new products were introduced at the show, with big launches including Epson’s Sure PrecisionCore technology and its Surepress L-6304 UV inkjet label press, Mark Andy’s award-winning PRO-LED flexo curing system, Ritrama’s Core Linerless Solutions, and Screen's Truepress Jet L350UV single pass inkjet press.
It's worth remarking that some of these launches were pre-announced under non-disclosure agreements with many of the trade press during PRINT 13 (held just prior to Labelexpo Europe) on September 8-12 at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL. Even Benny Landa held intimate gatherings just prior to PRINT's opening—one for packaging, another for commercial—to announce under NDA the features of his newly enhanced and redesigned Landa Nanographic S10FC Press which will be ready for beta site assignment in Q4 2014. So I guess we know which show equipment manufacturers target to introduce new products in the label industry!
But I digress. . . Tarsus also reports Labelexpo Europe successfully debuted new feature areas, including the Package Printing Workshop with both digital and conventional printing for folding carton, lid laminates, and standup pouches; and the Inkjet Trail for comparing print results among competitive inkjet technologies. (I wish I could have been a fly on the wall at a prospective participating exhibitor's headquarters when they heard this feature area would debut!)
Lisa Milburn, managing director of Labelexpo Global Series comments: “With the Eurozone now out of recession, confidence and optimism is beginning to return to wider global industry and converters are starting to invest in their businesses again." Proof may be in the comments provided by no less than 68 return and new exhibitors at the show who gushed with compliments on the class event and satisfaction regarding the quality and quantity of attendees.
Next year it will be the America's turn to host Labelexpo on September 9–11 at Rosemont's Donald E. Stephens Convention Ctr. Visitors who in the past may have complained about not enough entertainment opportunities far from Chicago's downtown food and entertainment district have little to complain about now. Not only is there a food and entertainment district dubbed The Park (a.k.a. MB Financial Park), but there's a very popular casino called Rivers just down the road for those who like to take risks.
You can lose just as much money as at the casino, however, by visiting the new Fashion Outlets of Chicago Rosemont mall which recently opened at The Park. The problem here is that it's so popular, I haven't been able even to get close to it. Look for anchor stores Bloomingdale, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Forever 21 leading the pack of 135 retailers on two levels.
Nothing boring about Rosemont anymore!
My friends call me
Yo
