The packaging industry is evolving faster than ever. New regulatory deadlines, intensifying sustainability pressures, and rapid technological advancements are reshaping the way brands, manufacturers, and suppliers operate. In this climate of change, Packaging Innovations & Empack 2026, taking place on 11 & 12 February at Birmingham’s NEC, arrives at precisely the right moment. The event offers clarity, confidence, and practical solutions for the professionals who power the UK’s packaging sector.
As the country’s largest event dedicated to the full packaging journey, the show has grown beyond a traditional exhibition to become a hub for innovation, knowledge exchange, and operational excellence. It brings together the people, technologies, and ideas shaping the future of production, fulfilment, and delivery, creating a platform where ambition meets actionable insight.
At the heart of this year’s event is a renewed emphasis on connection. Packaging today is no longer a linear process; it is a network of interdependent operations spanning production, processing, warehousing, logistics, and end-of-line automation. Recognising this, Packaging Innovations & Empack 2026 has evolved into a forum for collaboration across the entire supply chain. Beyond the two days at Birmingham NEC, the event facilitates ongoing engagement and knowledge-sharing, reflecting the realities of modern packaging operations. From engineering and operations management to supply chain strategy, attendees leave with insights that can be applied immediately to improve efficiency, resilience, and adaptability in increasingly complex environments.
Empack, in particular, is positioned as the operational heartbeat of the event. Over the two days, visitors can see packaging technology in action through live demonstrations of machinery, robotics, automation, and processing systems designed to transform operational performance.
Machinery in action: guided Empack Tours
For those navigating the fast-moving world of packaging operations, the Empack Machinery & Processing Tours offer a chance to see technology in context rather than in isolation. These guided tours take visitors directly onto the show floor, where live demonstrations of machinery, automation, and processing systems reveal how production lines operate today.
Over the course of an hour (1 pm–2 pm), participants follow a curated route designed for relevance and pace, encountering everything from robotics in action to end-of-line solutions that link production with fulfilment and distribution. The tours are as much about observation as understanding, offering insight into how companies tackle efficiency, stability, and capacity challenges in real-world settings.
The sessions have already drawn representatives from Prism eLogistics, BW Packaging, and Sealed Air, creating a collaborative environment where ideas and practical approaches can be exchanged. Meeting at Hall 3a, attendees experience operational innovation firsthand, seeing not just what the machines can do but how they integrate into wider production strategies. For engineers, operations managers, and supply chain specialists, these tours offer a rare window into the intersection of technology and process, inspiring approaches that can be applied back on the factory floor.
Innovation under pressure: Pitch the Co-Packers Competition
Innovation often shines brightest under pressure, and the Pitch the Co-Packers Competition captures that perfectly. In partnership with the BCMPA, start-ups and challenger brands take to the stage in a fast-moving, Dragon’s Den-style format, presenting their ideas to a panel of industry experts. The hour-long session is as much about watching problem-solving in action as it is about spotting the next big thing.
Attendees can expect creativity and practical thinking on display as brands pitch solutions to real-world packaging challenges. Beyond the excitement, the event fosters connection and conversation, with networking opportunities that could lead to funding or partnerships and exposure to influential figures across the supply chain. Watching the pitches unfold provides insight into emerging trends, new materials, and inventive thinking that keeps the sector moving forward. The session takes place on 12 February, 11:30–12:30, at the Supply Chain Stage W160 in Hall 3a.
Advance your skills: CPD-accredited sessions
For those looking to deepen their understanding of the latest packaging practices, the CPD-accredited sessions provide practical, hands-on learning. Covering topics from automation and robotics to AI, compliance, and sustainability, the programme is designed for professionals on the front line of operations, engineering, and supply chain management.
Rather than abstract theory, each session focuses on actionable strategies attendees can take back to their own production lines. The emphasis is on efficiency, risk reduction, and integrating smarter technologies, giving participants insights into how modern systems can support resilience and productivity. By the end of the programme, attendees leave not just with knowledge but with inspiration to explore new ways of working. Sessions run across both days at Supply Chain Stage W160 in Hall 3a.
A marketplace for every stage of the Packaging Journey
The scale and diversity of Packaging Innovations & Empack 2026 reflect its role as a true industry marketplace. The show will welcome more than 7,400 visitors, 450 suppliers, 80 speakers, and over 3,000 brands. Across the exhibition floor, solutions span contract packing, fulfilment, warehousing, logistics, automation, and packaging materials, enabling businesses to find partners capable of supporting everything from low-volume launches to high-speed, high-volume production. The breadth of offerings ensures that every aspect of the packaging journey, from concept to shelf, is accessible to decision-makers.
Exhibitors demonstrate solutions that can be deployed immediately. RARUK Automation, Stand U150, presents the PE10 Robotiq Palletising Solution for Universal Robots cobots, automating repetitive palletising tasks while enhancing safety and flexibility. Inter Pack, Stand H154, showcases a fully recyclable cardboard pallet measuring 1200 by 800, a lightweight, high-strength alternative designed for automated handling and simplified recycling at end-of-life.
Hazel 4D highlights the Mytho S Turntable Pallet Wrapper, ideal for high-volume pallet wrapping. The system secures heavy, unstable, or awkwardly shaped loads with precision and reliability. Capable of stretching film up to 400%, it pairs seamlessly with Hazel 4D’s Extremus Nano range to maximise load stability while minimising film usage. Alongside these are established exhibitors such as Charles Kendall, Sealed Air, AEGG, Boplan, Denholm, Paramount Global, Wessex Packaging, and Loadhog, contributing to a comprehensive overview of the sector’s capabilities.
Who will be there
Visitor profiles are equally diverse, reflecting the breadth of the UK packaging landscape. Big-name brands attending include Premier Foods, Bakkavor, Mars Wrigley, Costa, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, John Lewis, NEXT, Amazon, Unilever, and PZ Cussons. They span sectors from retail and FMCG to food and drink, personal care, cosmetics, skincare, suncare, online retail, restaurants, and food services.
Attendees include supply chain and procurement leaders, operations directors, packaging development specialists, sourcing professionals, and business development teams. Across the show, they can explore contract manufacturing, co-packing, filling services, e-commerce fulfilment, warehousing, labelling, logistics, and distribution—identifying partners best suited to streamline operations, scale efficiently, and bring products from idea to shelf with maximum speed and minimum waste.
A shared mission
All of these elements serve a clear purpose. Packaging Innovations & Empack 2026 aims to be the most connected, collaborative, and operationally relevant packaging event in the United Kingdom. Packaging is more than materials and machinery; it is systems, people, and progress working together. From production floors to boardrooms, from start-ups to global brands, every aspect of the sector converges at the NEC to share insight, showcase solutions, and drive change.
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