31 Jan 2024

Esko holds first Innovation Summit for UK packaging professionals

UK packaging professionals invited to discuss future of industry at Esko Innovation Summit.

Esko will host its first in-person Innovation Summit of the year next month, giving packaging professionals from across the industry the unique opportunity to interact and discuss how to overcome the challenges of today - and prepare for those of tomorrow.


Packaging producers, suppliers, brand owners and technology developers will enjoy a packed program of discussion at the Esko Innovation Summit, on Thursday 18 November. With speakers and presentations focusing on the future of the packaging industry, the free one-day event will take place at Holywell Park Conference Centre, Loughborough.

“The pandemic has accelerated existing packaging megatrends and added a fresh impetus for innovation,” said James Mason, Esko Regional Business Director. “It’s clear there are no simple solutions to today's packaging challenges. Instead, companies need to pursue a transformational approach, adapting and rethinking multiple aspects in the entire packaging lifecycle.

“Our summit has been designed to showcase new solutions, share success stories, discuss new market trends, and provide tangible tools to help professionals throughout the sector positively transform and advance their own business operations,” he said. “Together with some of our customers and colleagues, we’ll be looking at how businesses can stay ahead of the curve as we discuss the current landscape of our industry. We’ll be examining predictions for upcoming market trends and discussing how to respond to new threats through transforming operating models and creating a more sustainable future.”

The event will feature guest speakers such as Stephan Casey of Nestlé, who will share details of the company’s progression towards an inclusive, low-carbon future, and Geert De Proost, Esko Director of Software to Suppliers, who will be discussing the digitization of internal prepress processes and optimizing communication.

“We’ll be taking an in-depth look at how to simplify the platemaking process, without compromising quality,” said James. “This will be followed by a discussion on realizing the power of mass-scale variable data printing, with insights to help protect brands and provide new personalized services to customers by leveraging and fully automating the uniquely digital capability.

“There will be a session on how to increase quality by boosting inspection efficiency, in which we will be looking at how operator errors and manual intervention can be minimized, guaranteeing consistent quality and increasing throughput. We’ll also have a guest speaker, with Steve Mulcahy, CEO of Contact Originators Group, taking part in a live interview to discuss the future of platemaking and how his business is addressing the topic of sustainability.”

James said the event will conclude with a live Esko webinar, where attendees will learn first-hand about all the new features and benefits for Esko products, which will go live in November.

“We are looking forward to a day packed with discussions and demonstrations to highlight how digitizing, automating and connecting industry processes can boost operational efficiency, reduce waste, and increase print quality,” said James. “The Esko Innovation Summit is a must-attend event designed to help UK packaging professionals navigate the latest innovations and trends to embrace a smarter, more sustainable future.”

The Esko Innovation Summit will be held on Thursday 18 November 2021 at Holywell Park Conference Centre, Loughborough.