Online registration is open for PACK EXPO (www.packexpo.com) Las Vegas 2013 (Sept. 23–25; Las Vegas Convention Center), and show owner and producer PMMI (www.pmmi.org) promises the richest, most solutions-driven event to date.

“Attendees come to PACK EXPO to find solutions and new ideas,” says Charles D. Yuska, president & CEO, PMMI. “And we design the show experience so they can meet that objective easily and efficiently, whether they produce baked goods, snacks, beverages, pharmaceuticals, confectionery or any number of items.”

For PMMI and PACK EXPO, that means a customer-centric approach to an event expected to exceed 700,000 net square feet, 1,600 exhibitors and 26,000 attendees representing more than 120 countries.

It’s an approach that translates to solutions, according to PACK EXPO 2012 attendee Roger Henneberger, engineering project manager, Martin’s Famous Pasty Shoppe Inc.

“As both a packager and processor of breads and rolls, we came to PACK EXPO looking for the latest in food safety and it delivered. This show takes a total systems, holistic approach that we could not get from just a bakery-focused show,” Henneberger says.

At the center of PACK EXPO’s customer-centric approach, the five pavilions at PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2013 provide the starting points for attendees in search of specific solutions, Yuska points out.

“We’ve expanded The Processing Zone, and The Brand Zone has sold out,” he says. “PACK EXPO is about the solutions brands need, across the line, and I’m confident that this year’s event in Las Vegas will deliver the deepest field of solutions yet.”

  • The Processing Zone showcases processing technologies that allow companies to address their production lines from the beginning, to come up with a total systems solutions that improves efficiency, effectiveness and achieves or exceeds sustainability goals.
  • For the attendees looking for finding materials and containers that differentiate a brand, inspire new products and improve existing goods, The Brand Zone is the place to start. Exhibitors show their newest ideas and innovations in flexible packaging, metal, plastic, paperboard and more.
  • Within the Brand Zone, PACK EXPO is pleased to once again present The Showcase of Packaging Innovations™, sponsored by Dow. This display features the year’s most innovative, award-winning package designs from around the world, as judged by leading international organizations.
  • The Pharmaceutical Pavilion at PACK EXPO addresses the very specific challenges of today’s pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers by spotlighting the latest solutions from around the world in critical areas such as serialization and track-and-trace technologies.
  • The National Confectioners Association once again sponsors The Confectionery Pavilion and The Candy Bar lounge, giving attendees a sweet showcase of packaging and processing solutions for chocolate, gum and confectionery.
  • The Reusable Packaging Pavilion returns to PACK EXPO Las Vegas, as does its sponsor, the Reusable Packaging Association. The 5,500 square foot space highlights secondary and transport packaging that will maximize costs and help users achieve sustainability goals.

Industry-specific lounges — The Baking-Snack Break, The Candy Bar, The Rx Lounge and, making its Las Vegas debut, The Beverage Cooler, which launched at last year’s show — provide targeted networking opportunities on the show floor.

“Every year, we expand our customer-centric approach,” says Yuska. “This year, we’re pleased to bring The Beverage Cooler lounge to Las Vegas, and provide beverage industry attendees a spot on the show floor to network with peers and suppliers.”

“This September, PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2013 will bring the packaging and processing world together,” Yuska says. “It’s the place to find and explore the total systems solution, from concept to processing to packaging to transport — for companies from all over the world.”

 Registration is open at packexpo.com, so plan now to attend PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2013. Admission is $30 through Sept. 9, 2013, when it increases to $60.