With six months left until PACK EXPO International 2012 (McCormick Place, Chicago; Oct. 28–31), show owner and producer PMMI says show size has already exceeded the 2010 show.

To date, over 1,500 exhibitors have reserved their booth space - 1,060,000 net square feet - and PMMI Vice President of Trade Shows Jim Pittas encourages companies that are still undecided about exhibiting to reserve their space quickly.

“We’re well on our way to a total sell out,” he says. “We have less than 2 percent of available space remaining.”

PMMI projects visitor attendance at 46,000 and exhibit hall space at 1.1 million net square feet. “We had to expand into the lower North Hall to accommodate exhibitor demand,” says Pittas. “PACK EXPO International 2012 will be this year’s largest and most comprehensive processing and packaging trade show in the world.”

Adding to the many reasons to attend, PMMI announces the 2012 PACK EXPO Lecture will feature comedian/commentator Dennis Miller and political strategist James Carville, presenting their views of the upcoming election, and debating questions raised by the audience.

“With less than a week left before the 2012 Presidential election, this pair of pundits will deliver political perspective and some good laughs - no matter which way you plan to vote,” says PMMI president & CEO Charles D. Yuska.

Customer Centric Areas Fill Fast

To help attendees tailor their show experiences to the solutions they need and manage their valuable time on site, PMMI’s customer-centric approach targets several of the larger vertical markets attendees serve, with pavilions and networking opportunities. Yuska notes that pavilion space sold especially quickly.

“The Processing Zone, the Confectionery Pavilion and our first Pharmaceutical Pavilion in Chicago are already full,” he says. “And this year, we’ve added a new focus and partnership - the International Society of Beverage Technologists (ISBT) is sponsoring the newest market-specific networking spot, The Beverage Cooler Lounge.”

ISBT will also partner with the Conference at PACK EXPO to provide educational offerings that will resonate with its members and their industry peers.

Processing and Packaging Work Together

The 2012 edition of PACK EXPO International marks the third show at which PMMI has incorporated processing solutions providers into the PACK EXPO show floor.

“By bringing processing into the show, we’ve been able to help attendees find the total systems solutions they need. They’re not looking at processing or packaging, per se, but rather a total solution to get products to market as efficiently and safely as possible,” says Yuska.

He notes that processing solutions will be found throughout the exhibit halls, and exhibitors are not restricted to exhibiting in a pavilion.

“PACK EXPO offers show features, benefits and exhibitors to any market in the processing and packaging spectrum,” he adds. “Regardless of whether there’s a pavilion or lounge specific to your market segment, we have tools to connect buyers and suppliers, such as the My PACK EXPO portal, PACK EXPO Pre-Selects segmented directories and Conference at PACK EXPO educational sessions backed by leading industry associations.”

PMMI
(703) 243-8555; www.PMMI.org