Visitors can look forward to 340 suppliers showcasing innovative products, services, and solutions, unrivalled networking, and one of the most thought-provoking and inspirational speaker line-ups yet.

The countdown is on until Packaging Innovations & Empack 2024, and with less than 100 days to go, event organisers Easyfairs are encouraging people to register now for their free visitor ticket to the must-attend event.

Early indications suggest that the largest annual event in the UK that connects packaging specifiers and buyers with suppliers, new materials, and formats is likely to grow in size and scale again. Organisers are already predicting the two-day showpiece, which promises to solve your packaging challenges, will attract a bumper crowd, with hundreds of the world's biggest suppliers and thousands of designers, packaging developers, marketers, founders and buyers expected to descend on Birmingham's NEC.

The build-up to 2024's event, which is due to take place on the 21 & 22 February next year, has already seen organisers promise to 'further ignite creativity in the packaging sector', catalysing business opportunities, driving innovation across the whole packaging journey, and digging into the topics that matter most with an unrivalled speaker line-up.

"Packaging Innovations & Empack will, once again, comprehensively address every facet of the packaging journey, uniting a range of experts from diverse industries spanning retail to pharmaceuticals," said Event Director Renan Joel. "With an impressive presence of over 340 exhibitors across the four distinct zones, attendees will be immersed in a dynamic showcase."

The first confirmed speakers for the 2024 event are expected to be announced in the coming days, with Founders and CEOs of internationally successful brands, design specialists, scientists, CEOs, innovators and sustainability experts all sharing their remarkable stories and expertise.

"It's all about community, connecting and collaborating," said Easyfairs' Community & Content Manager, Parisa Maleki. "The event provides visitors with a cutting-edge insight into the trends and issues within the industry.

"Combine the ability to tap into all of the insight on offer with the opportunity to discover new products, innovation and technology at the event and return to your office full of insight and ideas, and it's little wonder we're currently experiencing huge demand for tickets that cost absolutely nothing."

Another significant part of the two-day extravaganza will be unveiling the inaugural Future Trailblazer showcase and awards ceremony, which aims to locate talented individuals going above and beyond to shape the future of packaging. By looking at both the biggest contributions to change in the industry and the potential individuals may hold, judges Jude Allan, Packaging Group Chair at IOM3, Ian Roe, Director, and Dani Novick, both from Mercury Search & Select, will be awarding recognition to those who are driving forces in making a wider change in industries beyond packaging. And they don't expect any shortage of nominations from an industry bursting with talent and fresh ideas.

Ian Roe, member of the judging panel and Director at Mercury Search & Selection, sees it as an opportunity to highlight the vital role packaging must play in a sustainable future. "Rather than being the villain, packaging enables us to transport, preserve, and serve goods. Without good packaging, we have waste – and the loss of the resources that went into creating those products," he commented.

"Celebrating the people making the biggest improvements has a double focus. First, improvements are good for the future of the industry and good for society. Second, it should inspire others and the next generation who are the future of our industry."

The awards comprise five categories and job roles, including Designing for the future (Technologist/Designer/Print tech), Production Delivery (Production Operative/Engineer), Sustainable Thinking (Sustainability Professional), Delivery Management (Project Manager, artwork coordinator), and Making It Happen (Buyer, supply chain & logistics/quality assurance).

Packaging Innovations & Empack 2024 are now accepting nominations for the Future Trailblazer showcase, and they can be made by filling out a short online form.