In 2010, 341 different companies were exhibiting and these came from 30 different counties and so represented well the packaging supply possibilities from across the world. Of these exhibitors 40 were showing for the first time.

The event is held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco and this year attracted over 5,700 visitors. Whilst this is slightly lower than in 2009, these attendees represented no less than 80 countries so giving the whole event a truly international feel. A huge range of products and ideas were on display including boxes, board, bottles and bags through to caps, closures, labels, ribbons, pumps and tubes so that visitors can, in one place, see all the different types of packaging that are necessary for luxury brands.

During the recent difficult economic period, luxury products have suffered possibly more that many other sectors but in this most competitive of market sectors, be it in beverages, perfumery, cosmetics or other products, the impact of the packaging at the point of sale is one of the most critical aspects that needs to be considered. Many of these products are bought by consumers as gifts and also many are not planned purchases and so it is critical that packaging is designed to differentiate products amongst the vast range usually on display.

There has, over the years, been some criticism of excessive packaging but no product manufacturer is going to spend more on the packaging than is necessary to firstly get the product to market in good condition and then additionally to appeal to consumers at the point of sale and differentiate the brand from its competitors.

This is the great challenge for packaging manufacturers to offer economic solutions that will help product stand out at the point of sale and all exhibitors are keen to show what they can do in this regard. Whilst this exhibition only runs for 3 days, the quality of the stands reflects the quality of the products and services being offered and amongst the various stands there were many of very high quality, for example, displayed on the CD Cartondruck stand was the winning carton from the 2010 Pro Carton ECMA Awards – a range of clever cartons produced for Tommy Hilfiger.

Carton manufacturers were well represented at the exhibition with all showing new ideas and designs to attract the attention of packaging buyers. There was a great deal of emphasis placed on the environmental benefits that cartons offer and Edelmann in particular were very focussed on this aspect showing cartons that not only demonstrated flair and imagination but also offered environmental benefits to their customers.

Venk Offset from Turkey were attending the fair for the first time and it is probably the first time that a carton manufacturer from Turkey has attended Luxepack. As well as showing a wide range of interesting cartons, Venk are also able to offer rigid covered boxes, display packaging, carrier bags and a wide variety of other types of packaging.

Goldprint and Pusterla 1880 Spa both from Italy also showed a wide variety of innovative designs and products with some spectacular finishes that would certainly attract attention at the point of sale.

MSO Cleland from Northern Ireland were showing a new technique they are using that applies conventional carton making methods to tubes. Rather than produce a spiral wound tube the print sheets of cartonboard conventionally on a litho press and then “form” them into tubes. They also were showing a development of this techniques in which they use rectangular tops and bases fitted at 90° to each other, so giving a “twist” to the finished carton. This provides an impact on the shelf and helps differentiate the pack from all others and it especially effective in the beverages market.