Packaging Exhibitions UK 2027: Dates, Venues and Which Ones Suit Your Business

A packaging buyer does not read a brochure, they pick the box up. They feel the board, check the finish and look for the join. If your stand is at the wrong show, or the right show with a graphic that hides your samples, you pay for a stand and meet very few of the people who could place an order.

This guide sets out the packaging exhibitions UK suppliers, converters and machinery makers should have in the diary for 2027. It lists the dates, the venue and the audience for each, and what to check before you commit. It is written for exhibitors choosing where to spend the budget, and for visitors planning which halls to walk.

Packaging exhibitions in the UK at a glance (2027)

The table lists shows with 2027 dates on their organisers’ own websites at the time of writing (27 October 2026). Dates, halls and opening hours can change, so check the official page before you book travel or ship graphics.

Two kinds of show sit side by side here. Packaging Innovations & Empack and London Packaging Week are about designing, sourcing and buying packaging. Foodex Manufacturing Solutions and the PPMA Show are about the machines that make, fill and pack it. Plastics-only shows are covered in the FAQs below, and consumer events are not included.

What the packaging market tells exhibitors in 2027

Regulation is bringing buyers to the halls

Government guidance says UK businesses that supply or import packaging may be affected by extended producer responsibility, and that producers have had to pay waste disposal costs since October 2025. The fees apply to household packaging, commonly binned packaging and glass household drinks containers, and were first calculated from the data reported for 2024.

The same guidance sets the plastic recycling obligation at 55% for 2025, 57% for 2026 and 59% for 2027, and gives 31 January 2027 as the deadline for meeting 2026 obligations. Separately, the Plastic Packaging Tax rate is £228.82 per tonne from 1 April 2026 on packaging with less than 30% recycled plastic. Buyers who face those costs have good reason to look for lighter, recyclable and recycled-content options.

The design and sourcing shows are growing

Organiser figures point the same way. Packaging Innovations & Empack reported 8,021 unique visitors in 2026, an 8% rise on its previous record, with more than 500 exhibitors and attendees from over 3,000 brands. London Packaging Week’s organiser, Easyfairs, said the 2025 show drew 5,752 unique visitors, up 15%, and 211 exhibitors.

These are organiser claims and each organiser counts visitors its own way, so ask for audited numbers before you pay for space.

Buyers arrive with questions

The organiser of Packaging Innovations & Empack describes the visitor mood in a way that is useful to any exhibitor. Its head of marketing says the sector’s challenge is choosing which ideas are worth pursuing, not finding them.

“The packaging industry is not short of ideas.”

— Sema Tezel Basbug, Head of Marketing, Packaging Innovations & Empack

Source: Wine Industry Advisor, Packaging Innovations & Empack 2027 opens registration

For an exhibitor, that means a stand that answers one clear question quickly will do better than one that lists everything you make.

The top UK packaging exhibitions for 2027

Packaging Innovations & Empack: 24–25 February 2027, NEC Birmingham

The organiser presents three shows as one destination: Packaging Innovations, Empack and Contract Pack & Fulfilment. Registration is free and the event is strictly 16+. Its pages name attendee roles such as packaging technologists, procurement managers, sustainability leads and co-pack managers, and list speakers from companies including Mars, ASDA and PepsiCo.

The 2026 edition reported 8,021 unique visitors and more than 500 exhibitors, and for 2027 the organiser says the show expands into Halls 6–9. A bigger floor means more neighbours competing for the same buyers, so a tall, simple back wall and a clear product table matter more here than at a smaller show.

Foodex Manufacturing Solutions: 12–14 April 2027, NEC Birmingham

The organiser calls Foodex Manufacturing Solutions the UK’s leading trade event for food and drink processing, packaging and manufacturing operations. It runs as one of five co-located shows on the same dates, and entry is for trade visitors only, with no under-18s admitted.

The page quotes 30,000+ visitors and 1,500+ exhibitors without a year, and those numbers describe the whole co-located event rather than this show alone. If you sell packaging materials or equipment to food producers, treat the figures as a ceiling and ask the organiser how many visitors specifically came for manufacturing. Our food exhibitions guide covers the other four shows in that family.

London Packaging Week: 22–23 September 2027, ExCeL London

London Packaging Week is run by Easyfairs and is aimed at brands that care about how a pack looks and feels. The organiser’s page describes five market zones (Packaging Première, PCD, PLD, Food & Consumer Pack and Design) and covers luxury drinks, beauty and cosmetics, food, FMCG and fashion. It names Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, Diageo and Unilever among the brands cited as attending or networking, and the event is strictly 16+.

The organiser’s page shows the September 2027 dates but still carries some 2026 labels, so confirm the dates and hours with Easyfairs. It lists 220+ suppliers rather than a visitor target, and the latest published visitor figure is the 2025 count above. This is the show to choose if your buyers are at brands in beauty, spirits or gifting, where a stand that shows off finish and detail does real work.

PPMA Show (Automate UK Week): 28–30 September 2027, NEC Birmingham

In 2027 the PPMA Show joins the UK Automation Show as Automate UK Week, described by trade magazine Process & Control as the organiser’s first combined exhibition. It covers processing and packaging machinery alongside automation, warehouse systems and enabling technologies.

The 2026 edition, held 22–24 September, had more than 350 exhibitors and around 1,500 brands according to the same report. Visitor figures vary by source, with the organiser’s earlier release citing 7,000+ for 2025 and a trade report giving 7,500+ for 2026, so ask for a certified count. At a machinery show your stand usually sits behind equipment, so graphics must read above head height and still make sense when a machine is running in front of them.

How to choose the right packaging exhibition

Start with who buys from you

Visitor numbers matter less than whether the people walking past can say yes. Look at your last ten orders and note whether each came from a brand owner, a designer, a food manufacturer, a co-packer or a machinery buyer. Then match the show to the buyer, not the other way round.

Decide between a design show and a machinery show

The two types of show ask different things of a stand. A design and sourcing show rewards a table of samples, a calm light and room for a ten-minute conversation. A machinery show rewards visibility from a distance and a clear way to book a demonstration, because buyers are often deciding on capital spend.

Set a target before you pay for space

Decide what a good show looks like in numbers: booked meetings, sample requests, quotes issued. A simple test is to divide your total cost of exhibiting, including space, stand, travel, accommodation and staff time, by your average first order value. That tells you how many new accounts you need to break even. Our exhibition stand cost guide shows what the stand itself typically adds.

Match the stand to the floor

Check whether your space is a shell scheme or a space-only plot. A shell scheme gives you panels to attach graphics to, so shell scheme graphics must be cut to the exact panel sizes. A space-only plot lets you build freestanding walls and counters, and our exhibition displays by stand size show what fits a 3m or 6m frontage. For tight budgets, see our guide to small exhibition stand ideas.

Making a packaging stand work harder

• Let the product lead. Packaging is picked up, folded and opened, so give samples a home. A custom printed counter or a table cover keeps the sample area tidy, and retail shop display accessories put materials at hand height.
• Light the samples honestly. Finish, foil and colour all change under poor light. Our guide to exhibition stand lighting covers the options, and a backlit display can carry one hero image above the table.
• Keep the graphic quiet. Your pack is the star, so a clean wall with one message and one proof point works better than a busy collage.
• Back up sustainability claims. Any recyclability or recycled-content statement on your stand should match your own documentation, because informed buyers will ask. Our article on eco-friendly exhibition stands looks at the stand side of the question.
• Make follow-up easy. A brochure stand or tablet holder gives visitors a data sheet or a quote form without taking your staff off the conversation.

If you want a complete layout to start from, the 3x3m booth kit with pegboard shelving, header and counter is a practical starting point for a sample-led stand.

Preparing your display for a 2027 show

Production and dispatch typically take five to seven business days from the next working day after you order and approve your proof. Express is quoted at around four to five business days and costs extra. Larger builds such as long backlit lightbox runs are quoted at 10 to 12 business days. Your order confirmation shows the dispatch date, and if Backdropsource misses it, the order is upgraded to expedited shipping at its cost.

Couriers set the transit time, so aim for delivery a few days before you need the goods. Foodex Manufacturing Solutions opens on a Monday and the PPMA Show on a Tuesday, and carriers deliver Monday to Friday, so deliver the week before. Most displays are tool-free and freestanding, and our exhibition stand checklist covers packing, setup and breakdown. If you are travelling with the stand, a portable exhibition display packs into a bag and fits in a car boot.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Booking the biggest show by default. A large hall with the wrong buyers is an expensive way to be ignored.
• Using one stand for two kinds of show. A sample table suits a design show, but a machinery show needs height and a demo booking point.
• Designing before you know the stand type. A graphic for a space-only plot will not fit shell scheme panels.
• Trusting the screen for colour. Order a swatch if your brand colour matters.
• Leaving artwork late. Late files cause most dispatch slips. Our first-time exhibitor checklist covers the planning timeline.

Your pre-show checklist

1. List your last ten orders and identify the buyer type for each.
2. Shortlist two or three shows and confirm the 2027 dates on the organiser’s page.
3. Ask for audited visitor figures, the floor plan and the exhibitor manual.
4. Confirm the stand type (shell scheme or space only) and the exact dimensions.
5. Choose one headline message and the samples that go on display.
6. Order a printed swatch if your brand colour is critical.
7. Request a free 2D mockup and approve the proof early.
8. Tell your supplier the show date and agree a dispatch date in writing.
9. Plan delivery for the week before the show, especially for Monday and Tuesday openings.
10. Set a target for meetings and sample requests, and agree who follows up each lead.

Talk to an expert before the 2027 calendar fills up

Choose the shows your buyers attend, set a clear target for each and give yourself time to approve artwork without rushing. If you want a second opinion on stand size, layout or artwork before you commit, book an expert consultation and tell us the show, the size of your space and the date your display needs to arrive. We can also show your artwork on the exact display size with a free 2D mockup. For any other question, contact our team.