Sean Riley: Hi, and welcome toUnPACKed with PMMI. I'm your host, Sean Riley. In this episode, we talk with Vice President of Trade Show, Laura Thompson, about the expansion of PACK EXPO to Atlanta, a hub for Southeast manufacturing. Thompson discusses why the city was chosen, and what attendees can expect—from hands-on demos to sustainability solutions and key networking events. She also highlights tools like the My ShowPlanner and the PACK Match program to help attendees make the most of the expo, emphasizing how the event brings tailored solutions to a region rich in diverse industries, from food processing to medical devices. Let's have a listen. With all the fancy introductions out of the way, welcome back to the podcast, Laura.
Laura Thompson: Thanks. Happy to be here, Sean.
Sean Riley: The pleasure is all ours. I'm old enough to remember when PACK EXPO was only one show, and then we got a second show, which was PACK EXPO Las Vegas. Then we expanded to the Northeast and Philly. So, what made you decide to do a show in the Southeast region, and I guess Atlanta in particular?
Laura Thompson: We have gotten a great response to our PACK EXPO East Show, which is our show in Philly. It's very targeted toa regional audience, and we started looking at other opportunities. There's so much manufacturlaunch a show there. We found with our PACK EXPO East Show, 80% of the attendees at that show only attend that show, so they're not making the trip to the larger PACK EXPO International or PACK EXPO Las Vegas shows. We understand people are busy in the industry and sometimes it's hard for you to make that travel commitment, so we're essentially bringing these solutions to them—looking at this region, looking at a huge manufacturing region in need of new packaging and processing machinery materials—and it gives them a great opportunity, easy access to find solutions.
Sean Riley: Okay, and is Atlanta the hub for that area?
Laura Thompson: Yes.
Sean Riley: That's what makes it so convenient?
Laura Thompson: I was surprised at how much manufacturing is just in Georgia.
Sean Riley: Okay.
Laura Thompson: Georgia alone has 1,500 food processing facilities. The good thing about the PACK EXPO shows is we provide solutions to all industries, and it's not just one. There are a lot of crossover solutions, so we're able to provide these solutions to all of these industries that are in the Southeast in one easy-to-access place.
Sean Riley: Awesome. So, who should be attending PACK EXPO Southeast? What are we looking for in an attendee?
Laura Thompson: An attendee is anyone in theindustry, anybody who is processing or manufacturing anything. Pretty much everything needs to go in a package, Sean. Those are the folks that should attend—obviously within the region—and if they're close by, we encourage them to bring a team, bring even some of the folks in your company that may be new to the industry. We talked about PACK EXPO as one of the best classrooms in the industry, so it's a great opportunity. The good thing about the PACK EXPO shows is that people bring machines, and they can truly see what the machine does, how fast it works, how the interface works, and see the materials. It's just a great opportunity to see all of these things in one place and truly understand how it works and how it can solve any of the challenges that these folks are facing in their operations.
Sean Riley: Awesome. So, what can a first-time attendee to PACK EXPO Southeast expect to find?
Laura Thompson: Anything that they need to package, like I said, they can find it there. They can find materials, processing. There are also education and networking opportunities, but we like to make sure if you're coming to the show, you do have a chance to meet others in the industry, as well as learn a little bit about the latest packaging trends and challenges others might be facing.
Sean Riley: Okay. So, a big topic that always comes up, that I can't do a podcast without mentioning, is sustainability. So, how is PACK EXPO Southeast addressing that? What kind of sustainable solutions might people find?
Laura Thompson: We encourage all of our exhibitors to share any of the sustainable solutions that they're offering as part of our PACK EXPO Green program. Any attendee coming to the show can go to what we call our My Show Planner, which is our online show directory, or as we get closer to the show, the mobile app. They can select PACK EXPO Green, search by keyword or product category, and find targeted, sustainable solutions. We also work with PMMI Media Group on a sustainability solutions finder, which has even more targeted search capabilities and descriptions for exhibitors offering these types of solutions. We also have educational content in our InnovationStages. You can search by the sustainability track and find any of those sessions that are targeted or focused specifically on sustainability topics.
Sean Riley: Speaking of the Innovation Stages, what does an attendee expect to get? What are they all about?
Laura Thompson: We have our Industry Speaks and our Innovation Stages. The Innovation Stages are exhibitor-led presentations discussing their innovations and ways to address certain problems. The good news with these sessions and stages is they're directly on the show floor. We want to keep everyone on the show floor as much as possible simply because there's so much to see, and it's hard to split up the time. Attendees can pop in, see the sessions, and then get back to see what they need to see. Industry Speaks is PMMI and PACK EXPO working with partner associations in the industry. Some of these associations represent vertical industries and can give us very targeted content specific to their industry, presenting the latest trends and challenges their members or associates are facing. It’s a great opportunity to learn and meet people with similar challenges.
Sean Riley: Are there going to be networking opportunities at PACK EXPO Southeast?
Laura Thompson: Absolutely. One program I always appreciate is The Packaging& Processing Women's Leadership Network. We just had our largest event ever at our show in Chicago, and it's always exciting to see this group come together. We will be having a networking reception during the show—attendees and exhibitors are invited to join and learn from each other. We also have our Young Professionals Network Reception, which is a great opportful for those new to the industry or scaling up their unity for those new to the industry to connect. We try to incorporate activities to encourage engagement, like ping-pong in Philly and darts in Chicago.
Sean Riley: So, I'm a first-time attendee. Are there tools available to help navigate the show?
Laura Thompson: Very similar to all of our shows, we have My Show Planner on our website, packexposoutheast.com, where attendees can search, view floor plans, and make a plan. A little closer to the show, we’ll have a mobile app that syncs with your online plan. We also have the PACK Match program, where a dedicated expert will meet with you before the show, discuss what you're looking for, and provide recommendations. This is especially helpful for operations.
Sean Riley: And that's free with registration?
Laura Thompson: Yes. Just submit the form, and we'll schedule an appointment.
Sean Riley: I love that. Thanks again, Laura, for taking the time to join us.
Laura Thompson: Thanks, Sean, I appreciate it.
Sean Riley: Please rate, review, and subscribe.To do that, go to iTunes or Spotify and search for UnPACKed with PMMI.
