The continued advent of new technologies and the triumphant return of Labelexpo Europe has the label industry buzzing about the upcoming American tradeshow. Labelexpo Americas 2024 will descend upon Rosemont, IL, USA, from September 10-12, with converters and suppliers discussing the hottest trends and ways to optimize efficiency at label facilities.

Automation, sustainability, digital printing, speed and quality are all top-of-mind for label companies today. With fewer employees and discerning customers, the pressure is on to do more with fewer available resources. Labelexpo Americas will play a large role in the debut of countless new technologies.

To learn more about the upcoming event, L&NW caught up with Jade Grace, managing director, Labelexpo Global Series.

L&NW: What are your expectations for Labelexpo Americas?
JG: At Labelexpo Americas 2024, visitors and exhibitors can expect to see the very latest innovations that are shaping the future of the label and package printing industry, including growing industry trends such as sustainability, automation and RFID technology.

We are proud that Labelexpo is and always has been an equipment-led trade show and are committed to bringing the latest technology to you at Labelexpo Americas 2024, giving the industry a place to shop for the best products that will enhance and improve their production facilities.

We are also excited to bring our label and packaging industry together to reconnect, learn and have a great time doing it.

L&NW: How will the momentum from Labelexpo Europe shape the agenda and production of the American version of the show?
JG: At Labelexpo Europe 2023, we hired two third-party research companies to conduct in-person interviews and written post-show surveys. The goal of this was to collect data from our exhibitors and attendees to understand their needs when attending or exhibiting at our events.

That feedback gave us actionable insights that we will apply at Labelexpo Americas 2024, where there will be more networking opportunities, better navigation in planning the event and the education that our customers want to see more of.

L&NW: What feedback did you receive for last year’s Labelexpo Americas, and where are opportunities to grow the event?
JG: At Labelexpo Americas 2022, the one particular comment we received was, “Where is all of the flexo equipment?” There were certainly many different reasons in which some of our clients could not bring their conventional equipment to the event, but after Labelexpo Europe 2023, our press manufacturers who invested in bringing the equipment to the show realized how important it is to the industry to see what new developments in automation conventional equipment can now offer.  We are happy to report that our attendees will be able to see in person not only digital but also conventional printing presses.

L&NW: What are some of the trends and hot topics you expect to see at the show?
JG: We expect to see key industry trends such as automation, sustainability, RFID/smart labels play out on the show floor and throughout our educational content at Labelexpo Americas 2024.

At the show, you will see a new addition to our event focused strictly on flexible packaging. We will have content on the show floor showcasing automation and best practices surrounding sustainability. Our education arm will bring you content from top converters around the world, RFID and future technologies, and a huge focus on training on the last day of the event.

L&NW: How has the Labelexpo Global Series re-established itself after several years away?
JG: The biggest change to our group recently has been that Informa PLC has acquired the Tarsus Group, which owned the Labelexpo Global Series of events. Informa is the leading international events and digital services group globally with over 12,000 employees. It’s truly been amazing working with Informa. They are committed to investing and growing our entire Labels portfolio.

Moving forward, our events will be more sustainable, and our events and our team will continue to connect buyers with sellers to deliver a premium event experience that we can all be proud of.