A total of 387 exhibitors displayed their products across three exhibition halls and more than 12 000 visitors attended the event over the four-day period, some travelling from as far as Africa, Europe, Taiwan and China to attend. Michelle Bedser, exhibition manager at Specialised Exhibitions, organisers of the show says that they are very pleased with the results of the show. “The show has proven itself again as an ideal opportunity to showcase new products, trends and developments. The success this year was outstanding and we look forward to building on that success for the next show in 2013.”
Says Carl Woodland, chief operating officer for Oasys Exhibitions, “Oasys supplied 3000m2 of shell scheme, 18 000m2 of carpeting as well as furniture for the event. Furthermore, we built 40 design stands for the show, including a 275m2 stand for Nampak, which won a gold award in the category “Best system stand, 201m2 and over” at the Exhibition and Event Association of Southern Africa's annual awards. Each of Nampak's divisions had a dedicated area for showcasing their products. A 5m high tree lined with real grass, formed the centrepiece for this stand. We are happy that the stand won such a prestigious award which was made possible through hard work and innovation by the whole team involved, lead by key accounts manager Gill Gibbs.”
Bedser says, “Not too long ago packaging was mainly used for the transport and protection of goods and retailers would simply unpack products before selling them. At that time, no one realised the advantages that individual packaging held from a marketing and selling perspective. Since we organised the first Propak exhibition we have seen how the industry has become increasingly sophisticated and brands have become more than a message on a box.
Packaging now shares strategic information with consumers regarding nutritional values, ingredients and storage instructions. With growing competition within commerce and industry a need was created for eye-catching, promotional packaging that would facilitate the competitive edge of products during different phases of the marketing process.”