Page 3 - Packaging News magazine March-April 2022

March-April 2022 | www.packagingnews.com.au COMMENT | MANAGING EDITOR 3
The sights, the sounds and oh, the people
MANY moons ago, in 1994, I experi- enced my first mega trade show as a newly minted packaging journalist attending the beverage processing and packaging expo Drinktec in Munich.
It was Oktoberfest time, but beer and salted pretzels aside, nothing could have prepared me for the sheer scale of the show.
The throngs of people, the noise in the machinery halls, the flavours and fragrances in the ingredients zone – the vibrant colour and cacophony of it all collided to deliver a welcome assault on the senses.
Paper notebook and camera in hand, I trawled the halls and immersed myself in the technology of the day, spoke to international industry leaders and experts I would not otherwise have had the chance to meet, and attended seminars on trends and new product launches. All in one place, all in a few short, exhausting yet exhilarating days.
Although I did not realise it at
the time, when I consider today the events and people that have shaped my career choices, this was indeed a watershed experience for me.
I cannot remember precisely what I reported on – sustainability was a thing, but not the huge movement of today; automation was in play, but there were no cobots in sight nor IoT connectivity; smart packaging tech- nology had not yet emerged; and Industry 4.0 was not even a twinkle in engineer’s eyes. What a long way forward we have come!
What I do remember, what stayed with me and compels me to write this, was the incontrovertible value of the in-person trade show experience.
Of course you know where I am going with this. We are almost on the eve of the AUSPACK 2022 trade show. For industry professionals involved in the processing and pack- aging industry, all roads should lead to Melbourne in May.
This will be the first major gath- ering of our industry, in one place, in three years. The excitement is palpable. Exhibitors are ready to demonstrate their innovations to manufacturers who are looking to bolster local capability and meet sus- tainability targets.
More than the technology on show, a snapshot of which you’ll find in our special AUSPACK Preview sec- tion starting on page 43, there’ll be the long-awaited physical presence of people to engage with, to learn from, to build relationships with over the course of four action-packed days.
The PKN team will be there, along with our colleagues from Food & Drink Business and Print21, bring- ing our multi-platform media hub to stand B120. Our collective fingers will be on the AUSPACK pulse, bring- ing you the show news across all our platforms – podcast, video, daily online briefings and the print report.
The world has changed in many ways since 1994, but the myriad bene- fits of attending industry trade shows remain. I look forward to seeing you in person at AUSPACK. ■
Lindy Hughson
Managing Editor & Publisher
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This will be the first major gathering of our industry, in one place, in three years. The excitement is palpable.”