Packaging Innovations postponed: UK event plays safe as Omicron sweeps Europe

11 Jan 2022 --- Global event organizer Easyfairs has been forced to postpone Packaging Innovations & Empack 2022 – the UK’s biggest annual innovation and investment packaging event – due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19. 

The show is being moved from its current February 2022 dates to May 25 and 26, 2022. 

The decision to postpone the event has been made in consultation with the event’s many partners, exhibitors and the community, says Easyfairs. 

It results from new government recommendations relating to home working and significant new travel restrictions for overseas event participants. This combination of circumstances makes it “impossible” to plan for a successful event in February, say the organizers. 

Despite Omicron not being as dangerous as first feared, the World Health Organization has said more than half of Europe’s population will get infected with the variant within the next six to eight weeks.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains under pressure to tighten measures throughout the country. 

An essential event
With its new dates in May, the 2022 edition of Packaging Innovations & Empack “will continue to be the essential event giving a vision of the future and driving investment and innovation decisions across the whole packaging journey,” say Easyfairs in a public statement. 

The UK is seeing well over 100,000 daily cases of Omicron.Packaging Innovations connects packaging technologists, designers and buyers with more than 200 of the market’s leading suppliers of primary and secondary packaging materials and related technologies. 

Meanwhile, Empack brings together directors at packing and filling operations with more than 40 of the market’s key technology suppliers. Three conference stages will bring the latest thinking on the key packaging development and processing issues.

Confidence of success 
Easyfairs says it is confident that moving the dates of Packaging Innovations & Empack 2022 to May is the best way to ensure a successful event. 

“It is our mission to run fantastic events that connect the packaging community, drive innovation and business and give a truly inspiring vision of the future,” says Renan Joel, divisional director for Easyfairs’ packaging events in the UK and France. 

“We want to ensure the next edition of Packaging Innovations & Empack at the NEC does this and moving the event to May will give the whole community the best chance of having the event it deserves.” 

Last year, PackagingInsights attended Empack in the Netherlands, where the power of labeling and coding applications in packaging were highlighted. The latest innovations in material reductions, runtime and ease-of-use, were displayed by industry experts. 

Edited by Louis Gore-Langton

To contact our editorial team please email us at editorial@cnsmedia.com