91 FERIAS I TRADE FAIRS & EVENTS 28% increase in North American visitors. Spain topped the list of top visiting countries, followed by Italy, Germany, France, and the UK. Andy Thomas-Emans, Strategic Director of Labelexpo Global Series, said: “The move to Barcelona for Labelexpo Europe 2025 marks a strategic milestone in the trade show’s 45-year history. Breaking records in both exhibition space and attendance demonstrates the continued growth of the industry and the global appeal of the new location. We are particularly encouraged by the significant increase in international participation, especially from the Americas, which confirms our commitment to creating a truly global platform for the label and packaging printing industry. We witnessed an industry embracing automation, sustainability, and the beginnings of AI integration. All of these are signs of a dynamic sector that continues to evolve and innovate”. Global Labels & Labeling Awards Labelexpo Europe 2025 held a prestigious industry awards ceremony, which was a key part of the Festa Barcelona opening party on September 16. The awards recognized outstanding achievements in three categories: innovation, sustainability, and converter of the year. LemuGroup received the Innovation Award in recognition of its UltaCompact system, an end-of-line automation technology. Dutch supplier Bio4life was awarded the Sustainability Award for its home-compostable pressure-sensitive adhesive. The Converter of the Year Award recognized the UK-based family-owned OPM Group for its track record and contribution to the label industry, as well as its expansion into flexible packaging technology. Some of the industry’s leading companies sponsored the awards: Gallus/Heidelberg sponsored the Innovation Award; Durst Group, the Sustainability Award; and Flint Group, the Converter of the Year Award. Introducing LOUPE This year, Labelexpo Global Series announced a major rebranding across its portfolio of events, which will become the new brand, LOUPE, in 2026, beginning with the Americas trade show in September. Integrated into the brand, the acronym LOUPE stands for “Labels and Exterior Packaging Embellishment, ” reflecting the trade show’s expanded scope while maintaining its primary focus on labels. Labelexpo was launched in 1980 with the first edition of Labelex 80 in London, which featured 44 suppliers from the labeling industry. Since then, the portfolio has expanded globally, supported by Labels & Labeling. In the last two years alone, the combined portfolio of Labelexpo events welcomed over 125,755 visitors and occupied 140,919 m2 of exhibition space. “Starting in 2026, our portfolio of events will become LOUPE, while our publishing division, Labels & Labeling, will remain unchanged. While labels remain our focus, this evolution recognizes the broad impact and influence of labeling technologies across the entire value chain. LOUPE will continue to drive the transformation of the label industry and the enhancement of outer packaging in all packaging formats. Today we celebrate a new era in our industry, ” says Jade Grace, Managing Director of Labelexpo Global Series. The next European trade show will return from October 5-8, 2027, as LOUPE Europe 2027.
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