Guangzhou’s Pazhou Exhibition Center hosted the biggest Labelexpo South China to date from December 3-5. This year’s edition reported a 4% increase in footfall, with the three-day trade exhibition welcoming 5,297 visitors (up from 5,098 in 2012).

Around 150 exhibitors showcased their latest products and services. New product launches included presses from Nuova Gidue, Venture Electronics and WeiFang DongHang Precision Machine Co.

The exhibition was also supported by a two-day conference. The conference program highlights included a keynote presentation given by Jari Haavisto and Heini Lehti of UPM Raflatac, along with John Li, senior packaging development manager at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Group Asia-Pacific.

Both companies have collaborated to find sustainable labeling solutions and gave their practical insight into how sustainability must go together with profitability in everyday business practices. There was also an overview of the latest smart products being used to encourage consumer interaction and spending with presentations by Top Print Labels, Peng Cheng Li Cultural Technology and Sun Chemical.

“I was very pleased with the quality of visitors from China at Labelexpo South China and also surprised about the number of guests from outside the country,” said John Mitchell, international sales manager, KTI. “We will certainly return in two years.”

The interactive Live Technology Clinic, which made its debut at this year’s show, also proved popular as two hour-long sessions gave visitors access to one-to-one discussions with a panel of label and package printing experts. At the clinic, experts from companies including Kinglabel Adhesives, YUPO and the Printing and Printing Equipment Industries Association of China (PEIAC) were on hand to advise on all aspects of label and package printing technology as well as help printers realize their potential, solve challenges and increase their opportunities.

John Davy, divisional director of Labelexpo South China said: “The team has again worked incredibly hard to build, improve and ultimately deliver the show. Labelexpo South China 2014 has been an even more valuable event for Chinese printers with the addition of the Live Technology Clinic, while the conference program’s content once again appeared to resonate with the audience. Achieving our highest ever onsite rebook rate in South China to date with 31% of the space signed up for 2016, Labelexpo South China continues to go from strength to strength in what is a formidably competitive marketplace.”