Reed Exhibitions, a division of RELX, recently announced the acquisition of PackPlus – a portfolio of trade-fairs previously owned by Next Events, serving the Indian packaging industry. Launched in 2006, PackPlus has established itself as one of India’s largest dedicated gathering of trade professionals in the packaging industry. Below is an excerpt from our interview with Prateek Kaushik, portfolio director – Next Events Private Limited.
The Packman: Congratulations on PackPlus being acquired by Reed Exhibitions. How do you plan to take the events to newer heights?
Prateek Kaushik: Thank you! The industry has been appreciating PackPlus over the past several years, establishing it as the leading marketplace for packaging and converting industries. The global footprint and network of Reed Exhibitions and synergies of PackPlus with other events in Reed’s product portfolio will enable PackPlus to grow further. At Reed Exhibitions, we work closely with industry stakeholders to offer maximum value to our customers – visitors, exhibitors and other key groups. I am pleased to inform that the show has once again received tremendous response and we are all set to put together a bigger, better and bolder edition of PackPlus this August. The show will take place at Pragati Maidan from 28-31 August 2019 and will be open to all trade visitors from across industries.
The Packman: What interesting can visitors and exhibitors expect to experience at PackPlus shows?
Prateek Kaushik: Our USP has always been the quality of buyers at the show. Over the years, we have been trying to improve the experience of our customers by offering a variety of facilities and tools to make sure that they make the most of their visit. In the past edition, we introduced online matchmaking platform which was well received. This year, visitors and exhibitors will experience our online matchmaking tool ‘GoConnect’ which will allow them to fix their meetings prior to the show. With Reed Exhibitions on board, we have plans to offer enhanced experience to our customers and make sure that relevancy remains the key.
Expect to witness hundreds of live product demonstrations, machinery-in-action, specialized packaging, automation technologies and innovative packaging solutions – offering a complete value chain under one roof. Attendees can expect to source end-to-end solutions for their factories, plant, warehousing and retail facilities.
The Packman: What are the major highlights of upcoming PackPlus Delhi edition?
Prateek Kaushik: Innovative packaging technology at its core, today PackPlus is the biggest event in its segment with 400+ exhibiting companies and growing. Trade visitors can source new solutions to enhance their product portfolio offerings, build a robust network and enter new markets. Solutions such as flexible packaging, non-woven bag, paper bag, paper cup, paper straw, rigid box making, and finished packaging solutions will be some of the highlights at the show. There are several global product launches lined up along with showcase of latest innovations in both packaging and machine automation.
The Packman: Which solutions and technologies can we expect at PackPlus? Can you share a bit about the exhibiting companies?
Prateek Kaushik: PackPlus offers a large gamut of solutions including print, converting, carton, corrugation, primary packaging automation, secondary packaging, material handling, supply chain along with an exclusive zone on finished packaging. Renowned players from the industry including Uflex, Nilkamal – BubbleGuard, Pepperl+Fuchs, AKR Machinery, AV Engineers, Sahil Graphics, Zhongke India, B&R Industrial Automation, Gandhi Automations, Spheretech Packaging India, DIA Automation, NBG Printrographic Machinery, Bostik India among many others are on board to showcase their solutions at the show. Some of the leading global companies include Koch Pac-Systeme (Germany), Stewart’s of America (USA), RN Mark (Canada), Transpak & Frondoso Industry (Taiwan), Hengrui Non-woven Co. (Dongguan City), Guanli Adhesive (Dongguan), Jintian Paper (China) and many more confirmed their participation at PackPlus 2019.
The Packman: Moving forward, how would you like to project PackPlus? What are your future plans?
Prateek Kaushik: PackPlus has always been the first choice for domestic exhibitors and agents representing several foreign companies. Now with Reed Exhibitions, we will expand our reach globally, making it the only global packaging destination in India for global and domestic players alike. As we continue to add more features to the show, we are also exploring to widen our visitor base from neighboring countries and regions including Middle-East, South-Africa, China, Sri-Lanka to name a few.
PackPlus 2019 will take place in New Delhi from Pragati Maidan from 28-31 August 2019 along with PackSol and CartonTech. To know more about the show visit www.packplus.in.