RIYADH — The German-Saudi Arabian Liaison Office for Economic Affairs (GESALO) hosted, in cooperation with the Messe Düsseldorf, a presentation and official press conference in Riyadh to promote the Interpack 2020.

Bernd Jablonowski, Global Portfolio Director Processing & Packaging form the Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, Christian Traumann, President of Interpack 2020 as well as representatives of GESALO welcomed the professional audience last Sept. 10 at 8 AM in the Moevenpick Hotel Riyadh.

The avid interest taken by exhibitors in the run-up to interpack 2017 that brought the world’s biggest and most important trade fair of the packaging sector and related process industries record attendance of 2,865 companies, was followed by trade fair days from 4 to 10 May with high spirits and further records: 74% of the approximately 170,500 visitors travelled to Düsseldorf from abroad – three quarters of them were decision-makers.

The high percentage of German and international top-notch experts from a total of 168 countries made for highly satisfied faces among exhibitors, who delighted at promising business contacts and even concrete deals concluded in the seven-digit range. Visitors in turn benefitted from an internationally unrivalled multitude of innovations on display and a unique market overview. This was also reflected in the corresponding high scores they gave the trade fair: just under 98% stated in the official survey that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their visit to Interpack 2017. They took an interest in all ranges and segments of Interpack but packaging media received significantly more attention than at the previous event.

“interpack is an absolute must-go event for companies in this industry and provides unique momentum. Every three years it is not only a one-of-a-kind performance showcase but also the place where suppliers and customers from all over the world get together to network and do business,” underlines Friedbert Klefenz, President of Interpack 2017.

Proving a top trend at many stands was the further digitalization of production processes on the way to Industry 4.0 applications. Production linked along these lines makes it possible to manufacture personalized packaging efficiently or to guarantee traceability, to name but two options. Furthermore, the modular design of packaging machines and process lines and optimized digital operating concepts play a pivotal role in order to reduce complexity in manufacturing and achieve the highest degree of flexibility possible for changing batch sizes or product versions.

The upcoming interpack will be held in May 2020 at Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre. — SG