A prestigious line-up of packaging designers and international brands has been unveiled for The Pentawards Conference, which takes place at ADF&PCD Shanghai 2018. The major names include Shiseido, Herborist, ForceMAJEURE, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, BETC, YANG Design and Centdegrés.

The high-level, design-focused conference, will run throughout the event, which takes place on the 28 & 29 March at the Shanghai Convention & Exhibition Center of International Sourcing. The leading brands taking to the stage, will draw on the very latest thinking, design trends, real-life examples and current news agenda during their talks. 

Paul Macdonald, Global Brand Director of the Easyfairs Packaging Portfolio, comments: “Having The Pentawards Conference at ADF&PCD Shanghai is a major coup for the show and will be a fantastic experience for our visitors. It provides them with the perfect platform to learn from some of the best and brightest minds from the packaging design world. Secondly, the names we have managed to secure are phenomenal. Anyone with an interest in packaging design will not want to miss The Pentawards Conference at ADF&PCD Shanghai 2018.”

‘Designing for Millennials’ is unarguably one of the most hotly debated topics within the packaging design community. With this in mind, Ippei Murata, Art Director of Packaging Design at Shiseido, will take to the stage on day one to look at Millennials as a consumer group, and explore how packaging designers can better understand them.

Laurent Hainaut, President and Founder of forceMAJEURE, will also be headlining the programme on day one of the show. Hainaut will focus specifically on packaging design within the retail sector, exploring why the future needs to be both interactive and responsive. Hainaut will return to speak on day two as well, where he will look at how companies can connect to the online world via smart packaging design.

Sustainable packaging is one of the most talked about subjects in the world at the moment, so attendees with a sustainability interest will not want to miss the talk by Pradere Christophe, Design CEO & Founder at BETC, who will be exploring ethical and sustainable packaging.

Also speaking on day one will be Gu Chuanxi, Professor at Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, who will talk about luxury packaging, helping attendees turn their already luxury packaging designs into a total brand experience.

Day two will see MS Xiaojing Huang, Strategic Director at YANG DESIGN, analyse the latest design trends from the Chinese market. She will explore the consumer maturity within the region and review the impact this is having on cosmetic brand identities. Also concentrating on the cosmetics industry will be Matthieu Rochette-Schneider, Designer and General Manager Asia at Centdegrés, who will look at how companies should be designing for fast growth sectors, and in particular children’s skin care.

Mr. Xu Jun, Chief Designer at Herborist/Shanghai Jahwa Corporation, is covering the consumer behaviour trends within the Chinese market, analysing the cultural and societal differences in packaging.

The dedicated packaging design-focused conference will be hosted and chaired by Rhonda Jiang, Editor-in-Chief at Package & Design Magazine, with a panel discussion closing both days of the show. The debate will consider ‘What are the challenges and opportunities facing the global packaging design industry over the next 5 years?’, with each speaker from the day taking part.

In addition to The Pentawards Conference, ADF&PCD Shanghai will also host The Pentawards Exhibit. This will showcase a selection of 2017 award-winning packaging, offering visitors the unique opportunity to gain a global perspective of the best and most creative packaging designs from the last year.

For further information, visit the website or via the show team on +44 (0)20 8843 8800 or [email protected].