SouthPack to span the packaging gamut: the show in Atlanta will showcase supplies and the latest information, especially on drug packaging regulations - SouthPack Show Preview - food packaging conference in Atlanta, Georgia

Food & Drug Packaging, April, 2003

AT-A-GLANCE

What: SouthPack

Where: Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga.

When: April 30-May 1, 2003; exhibition 10 a.m.-4 p.m., conference 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; registration begins 8 a.m. both days

Contact: 800-827-8323; www.southpackshow.com

SouthPack, the packaging trade show especially for the southeastern U.S., will run April 30-May 1 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

The show will feature a complete range of packaging materials, components, containers, packaging machinery, material handling equipment, automation and control systems, supplies, and services. Each also features an in-depth conference, developed in conjunction with leading industry groups, that focuses on timely issues for packagers--including new proposed Food and Drug Administration regulations that would require bar codes on packaging for all human drug products, including unit doses.

SouthPack is one of three regional packaging shows managed by Canon Communications LLC, which purchased them in 2001 from Reed Exhibition Cos. This marks the first year that SouthPack, which is put on in odd-numbered years, is under Canon's full control.

"We implemented Carton's signature marketing program, which was extremely successful in New York for EastPack and California for WestPack, to SouthPack, allowing access to thousands of previously un-reached buyers at leading packing companies," says Diane O'Connor, Canon's director of trade shows. "Another change made to the event, in accordance with Canon's established policy, was to make it available to every qualified buyer interested in attending by providing free access to those who pre-register for the show."

Canon is coming off a record high attendance at WestPack, which took place in February. O'Connor is confident that SouthPack will put the same principles to work.

"One reason we believe our packaging events are successful is that we strive to produce strong buying events situated in industry hotbeds," she says. "We take into account that it is often difficult for people to take a week off to attend a trade show, so we aim to bring our events into the heart of the industry."

Matching region to industry is the driving force behind the establishment of special pavilions at SouthPack. Three pavilions on the show floor will highlight key packaging markets. They are:

Pharmaceutical and nutraceuticals packaging pavilion.

"Five percent of the roughly $16 billion pharmaceutical industry is based in the Southeast, so we chose to feature this industry segment in a pavilion," O'Connor says. "Currently, Schering-Plough, Bausch & Lomb, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson and Merck are just a few of the major companies that will be in attendance. Every aspect of packaging machinery and materials for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products will be addressed."

Items that can be sourced for the pharmaceutical market at this pavilion include:

* Specialty equipment

* Pharmaceutical-grade materials and supplies

* Disposables packaging

* Trays and kits

* Blister packs

* Tamper resistant/evident containers

* Labeling and barcoding

* QA/QC

* Testing and inspection and sterilization services

This pavilion will include many items necessary to production in the fast-growing nutraceutical market, including:

* Packaging

* Labelers

* Contract manufacturing services

* Quality control instruments

Cosmetics and personal care packaging pavilion.

"Research has shown that the majority of this industry is located in three areas: New York, Los Angeles and the Southeast," O'Connor says. "Our EastPack and WestPack events serve the first two markets, so it was natural to include it at SouthPack."

Visitors to this pavilion will be able to source the full spectrum of equipment and services for packaging cosmetics, fragrances and personal-care products. Items on exhibit will include:

* Stylized bottles, jars, pouches, and tubes

* Specialty labeling

* Innovative design services

* Coatings, colorants, finishes

* Closures, valves, pumps, and sprayers

* Ties, ribbons and other accessories

Material handling/logistics pavilion.

This pavilion "was set up as a direct result of the high concentration of material handling manufactures located in the Southeast," O'Connor says. "These manufacturers serve a broad cross section of markets, making it important for us to promote them by creating a pavilion."

Machinery for transporting goods is becoming both more sophisticated and more affordable. This pavilion will present visitors with an array of goods and services for transportation both inside and outside the plant, including:

* Conveyors

* Controlling devices

* Integrated systems and controls

* Automated storage and retrieval systems

* Automatic ID systems and data collection equipment

* Palletizers

* Racking systems

* Warehouse and inventory management systems

* Third party logistics

SouthPack will feature a full conference schedule, with the latest in regulatory issues, marketing strategies and technology updates. Two sessions will take place simultaneously from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 30 and May 1. The sessions are: