Back to the Future (of Packaging)

This was indeed the week for conferences. Earlier this week, I attended the Digital Summit, a conference aimed to social media marketers and digital strategists. Yesterday, my supervisor and I went to the Coca-Cola Company World Headquarters in downtown Atlanta to take part in the Summit on the Future of Packaging, otherwise known as "NextPack." Presented by the Institute of Packaging Professionals (Southeastern Chapter), the 5 1/2 hours event consisted of exhibits, a few professional speakers, and a student design competition.




The above video demonstrates what Coke did to celebrate it's 125th anniversary. I wish the conference was in the evening, just so we could see this in action. But I digress...

We first went to the exhibition to check out 20 different companies who were showing off their latest technologies in packaging. There were a few big boys we recognized, and a few we never heard of. Most were local (or at least had a local Atlanta branch), but there were a few that were out of state. There were some interesting things we saw and met some great folks. We used this as an opportunity to network and to get our name out there.

Peter Clarke 

If only it were this easy

Following the exhibits we went down to the main lecture room to hear the keynote speaker, Peter Clarke. His main topic of discussion was innovation, and how it pertains to packaging. To sum it up, packaging and packaging professionals need to change. Historically, packaging has been thought of as an expense, and not as an investment. Companies have too much of a focus on short term goals, and not on the big picture (cliche, yes, but true). In order to "package for success" there needs to be definitive and dedicated teams, and strong support from upper management.

The bulk of his presentation went to his thoughts of what today's packaging themes are, which I'll flesh out here briefly:

• Simplicity - less is more, purity of design, memorable and simple
• Transparency - honesty and candidness, product visibility
• Authenticity - genuineness, local food movement, handmade and homemade
• Wellness - physical well being, natural, light and white
• Sustainability - light-weighting, distribution efficiency
• Control - ease of use, convenience, universal design
• Delight - enjoyment, accessible luxury, personalization
• Affordability - right size, don't compromise experience
• Responsibility - cause marketing, buying into meaning

His overall message was to invest in the smart change. You stay static, you die, more or less. His presentation was great and kept me captivated. It was a joy listening to Peter speak.

Student Design Competition

A little this, a little that, and viola!

Following Mr. Clarke was the Student Design Competition. A few months back, a group of packaging students from different schools were given to task to re-design the packaging of one of the following items: lightbulbs, milk, beer or honey. There were 3 teams in the final round who presented their projects during the summit. These kids were doing amazing things, and here's the kicker - they had 48 hours to do it. The winner was a group who redesigned the traditional milk carton. With superb design, lasting sustainability, a wonderful presentation, and a funny video to boot, these kids easily deserved to win. It was a pleasure to see the up-and-comers doing greatly innovative stuff.

Pat Reynolds

After the crowning of the student competition winners, there followed Pat Reynolds with his presentation on What's Coming Down the Packaging Pike? To be blatantly honest, I felt his presentation, while thorough and well thought out, didn't quite pertain to me and my packaging interests as much as Peter Clarke's did. Mainly talking about robotics and automation, and speaking in more of technical and back-line terms, he did not captivate me much. Not many notes were taken.

Christine Mau

So many guitars. So awesome.

Rounding out the NextPack summit was Christine Mau, talking about Unlikely Inspiration. Her presentation was also a delight to watch. The main idea was to end the "sea of sameness". I felt her presentation was along the same lines as Peter Clarke's in it's message. Now, I did not take down many notes during her presentation either, but that was because I was quite enthralled and paid a lot of attention to her speak. She even ended with a great video of Jimmy Page, Jack White, and The Edge jamming to express the importance of collaboration and building a strong team. It was awesome!

All in all I really enjoyed attending the NextPack conference, and I highly look forward to going back next year. I wish there were more exhibitors and that the conference lasted a little longer, but overall I had a great time and a met some equally great people.

Be well,