By Dora Martin-Kovacs, Ion Exhibits
Updated May 2026
TL;DR: Pack Expo is a family of 6 shows run by PMMI, not one event. The two flagship U.S. shows alternate yearly: Pack Expo International (Chicago, even years — next: Oct 2026) and Pack Expo Las Vegas (odd years — next: 2027). Smaller regional shows fill the gaps: Pack Expo East (Philadelphia, annual), Pack Expo Southeast (Atlanta, biennial). Two Mexico shows — EXPO PACK México (Mexico City, next: June 2026) and EXPO PACK Guadalajara (next: June 2027) — cover Latin America. The biggest global show outside PMMI is Interpack in Düsseldorf (triennial — running now through May 13, 2026). Each show draws a different buyer audience. Scroll down for full details on any show.
If you work in packaging or processing, “Pack Expo” is a name that comes up constantly. But Pack Expo isn’t a single show. It’s a family of six distinct trade events, each serving a different geography, audience, and exhibiting need. Add in a handful of major shows from outside the PMMI umbrella, and the packaging trade show calendar becomes complex fast.
This guide breaks down every Pack Expo format in detail, plus the other major shows worth knowing, so you can make smarter decisions about where to exhibit, what to expect, and how to build a trade show strategy that actually moves the needle.
What Is Pack Expo? The Short Version
Pack Expo is a portfolio of trade shows produced by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. PMMI represents more than 1,100 manufacturers and suppliers of equipment, components, and materials for the packaging and processing industries. The shows collectively serve food and beverage, life sciences, CPG, pharma, cosmetics, automotive, industrial, and dozens of other vertical markets.
The full Pack Expo lineup includes:
- Pack Expo International (Chicago, biennial)
- Pack Expo Las Vegas (Las Vegas, biennial, alternates with International)
- Pack Expo East (Philadelphia, annual)
- Pack Expo Southeast (Atlanta, biennial)
- EXPO PACK México (Mexico City, biennial)
- EXPO PACK Guadalajara (Guadalajara, biennial)
Each show draws a distinct audience profile. PMMI makes the point directly: the only way to fully cover the Pack Expo buying universe is to exhibit at every show. That’s not just a sales pitch. The data backs it up: attendee demographics, job roles, and company revenue vary significantly across events.
Pack Expo International
Next show: October 18–21, 2026, McCormick Place, Chicago, IL
Pack Expo International is the flagship — the largest packaging and processing trade show in the Western Hemisphere, and arguably the world. It runs every two years, on even years, at McCormick Place in Chicago, filling all four buildings: North, South, West, and Lakeside Center.
The 2024 edition broke every previous record. It drew 48,000 attendees and an additional 29,500 exhibitor personnel, reaching 77,500 total packaging and processing professionals in attendance. A record 2,700 exhibitors occupied 1.32 million net square feet of exhibit space — the largest show in McCormick Place history that year. International attendance jumped 19% over the 2022 edition.
For 2026, organizers are projecting similar scale: 2,600+ exhibitors and 48,000+ attendees across four days.
What makes it different: The sheer density of buyers from every vertical imaginable, combined with decision-maker attendance from major global brands. The 2024 show featured seven tailored pavilions: the Processing Zone, Containers and Materials Pavilion, PACKage Printing Pavilion, Healthcare Packaging Pavilion, Reusable Packaging Pavilion, Confectionery Pavilion, and Association Partner Pavilion. New additions included Sustainability Central and Emerging Brands Central.
Who attends: Engineers, plant managers, procurement specialists, and C-suite executives from food and beverage giants (Campbell Soup, Conagra, Colgate-Palmolive), pharma companies, CPG brands, and industrial manufacturers. International attendance is a significant feature — buyers from across Latin America, Europe, and Asia make the trip specifically for this event.
For exhibitors based in Chicago: This is your home show. McCormick Place is in the city’s backyard, which means lower logistics costs, easier setup, and the ability to bring more of your team. A strong local presence at the world’s largest packaging show is a compelling story to tell clients.
Pack Expo Las Vegas
Next show: 2027, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV (exact dates TBD)
Pack Expo Las Vegas runs in odd years, alternating with Pack Expo International. It’s the largest North American packaging and processing show in years when International isn’t running — and by most measures it competes with International for sheer energy and scale.
The 2025 edition was the show’s 30th anniversary and broke its own records. It brought together over 30,000 attendees and 20,000 exhibitor personnel for a total of 50,000 packaging and processing professionals, with 2,343 exhibitors displaying across a record-breaking one million net square feet of space. Over 51% of attendees were first-timers to the show. 43% held CEO or senior management roles, and 73% had final or significant purchase authority.
What makes it different: Las Vegas is a destination. The venue itself creates an out-of-office mindset that drives engagement. Buyers who might spend a single day at a local show will block multiple days in Las Vegas, which means longer conversations and more meaningful interactions. The show also co-locates with over 30 associations through the Industry Meets initiative, bringing complementary audiences — supply chain, sustainability, robotics — under one roof.
Audience focus: Primarily CPG and life sciences companies, with strong representation from food and beverage (Campbell Soup, Colgate-Palmolive, Conagra, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Molson Coors, Sargento Foods), pharmaceutical, and consumer goods brands. Attendees range from plant-level operations managers to corporate influencers.
Pack Expo East
Most recent show: February 17–19, 2026, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA
Pack Expo East is the compact, targeted version of the Pack Expo format, running annually in Philadelphia in February or March. The 2026 edition featured 500 exhibitors across three days and served 40+ vertical markets.
It runs every year — not on an alternating cycle — which makes it a consistent fixture for companies targeting the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic manufacturing corridor. The format is smaller by design: fewer exhibitors, tighter floor, faster pace. Buyers who attend Pack Expo East often can’t or won’t make the trip to Las Vegas or Chicago, making the show the only Pack Expo touchpoint for a meaningful segment of regional buyers.
What makes it different: Productivity. The condensed format means exhibitors can move faster, have denser conversations, and close the show with a cleaner pipeline. It’s described by PMMI as “targeted” and “highly productive” — trade show jargon, but based on the exhibitor feedback, accurate. Many companies use it as a warm-up for the larger shows or as a follow-up for leads generated elsewhere.
Who attends: Northeast-based CPG manufacturers, food and beverage processors, pharma companies, and industrial packagers who want Pack Expo access without a cross-country trip.
Pack Expo Southeast
Next show: April 12–14, 2027, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA
Pack Expo Southeast is the newest addition to the PMMI portfolio, debuting in March 2025 with strong results. The inaugural edition brought together 6,700 attendees and 2,800 exhibitor personnel — 9,500 total industry professionals — across 504 exhibiting companies and 115,000 net square feet. The exhibit floor sold out before the show opened.
The show runs biennially in Atlanta, targeting the Southeast’s rapidly expanding manufacturing corridor: Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, and surrounding states have become major manufacturing hubs for automotive, food and beverage, and life sciences companies — many of which wouldn’t otherwise travel to Philadelphia or Las Vegas for a packaging show.
What makes it different: It’s bringing Pack Expo to a new audience, not just a new location. First-time Pack Expo attendees make up a significant portion of the Southeast crowd — buyers who’ve never engaged with the broader PMMI ecosystem before. For exhibitors, that means genuine new prospect access, not just territory overlap with other shows.
Who attends: Regional CPG and life sciences manufacturers, food and beverage processors, automotive packagers, and companies from industries that have heavily invested in Southeast manufacturing. The Coca-Cola Company, headquartered in Atlanta, had team members at the inaugural show. Expect similar representation from other regional anchor brands.
EXPO PACK México
Next show: June 2–5, 2026, Expo Santa Fe, Mexico City, Mexico
EXPO PACK México is Latin America’s leading packaging and processing trade show, running every two years in Mexico City. The 2026 edition is expected to bring together 700+ exhibitors from around the world showcasing innovations across 40+ vertical markets, with a comprehensive educational program covering sustainability, automation, and operational efficiency.
The show is part of the broader PMMI portfolio but operates in a distinctly Latin American context. Mexico is a critical manufacturing and consumer market — it’s the second-largest economy in Latin America, a major export hub under USMCA, and home to a rapidly growing CPG and food processing sector.
What makes it different: Access to Mexican and Latin American decision-makers who don’t attend U.S. shows. The show draws buyers from CPG, food and beverage, life sciences, retail, and industrial sectors across Mexico and beyond, making it the right venue for companies with existing or growing business south of the border.
Format: Four days, with exhibit hours from noon to 7 PM (June 2–4) and noon to 6 PM (June 5) — reflecting the local business culture and allowing buyers to spend mornings in meetings before hitting the show floor.
EXPO PACK Guadalajara
Next show: June 15–17, 2027, Expo Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
EXPO PACK Guadalajara focuses on the Guadalajara region — Mexico’s second-largest city and a major industrial and tech hub — and draws buyers from across Mexico, Central America, and the broader Latin American region. It alternates with EXPO PACK México on a biennial cycle.
The 2025 edition set records across every metric: 16,600 attendees from 41 countries, 750+ exhibitors, and 205,000 net square feet of sold-out exhibition space across two fully booked halls. Total attendance including exhibitor staff topped 22,000. The show featured seven international pavilions (Argentina, Canada, China, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and the United States), underscoring its global reach despite its regional positioning.
What makes it different: As one exhibitor put it, “the visitors we receive here are 100% focused on the event.” Guadalajara is a business-first venue without the distractions of a major capital city. The buyers attending are engaged, decision-oriented, and often not reachable through Mexico City-based events alone.
Sustainability focus: The EXPO PACK Verde program has made environmental responsibility a central theme, spotlighting biodegradable, recyclable, and low-impact packaging innovations. If your company has a sustainability story to tell, this show gives you a receptive audience.
Beyond Pack Expo: Other Major Packaging Shows
Interpack (Düsseldorf, Germany)
Last show: May 7–13, 2026, Messe Düsseldorf
Interpack is the global benchmark for packaging trade shows. It runs every three years and is the world’s largest processing and packaging trade fair by most measures, drawing over 142,000–170,000 visitors and 2,800+ exhibitors from across the entire packaging value chain — food, beverages, confectionery, bakery, pharma, cosmetics, and industrial goods.
The 2026 edition was live through May 13. For any company with European or global ambitions, Interpack is non-negotiable. The buyer quality and international reach are unmatched. It’s also where major machinery launches happen: equipment manufacturers time new product announcements to coincide with Interpack above any other show.
Audience: Primarily European, but with heavy representation from Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East. Decision-makers come to close deals, not browse. If you’re sourcing machinery, evaluating suppliers, or launching into new markets, a week at Interpack delivers more strategic value than almost any other event in the industry.
LOUPE Americas (Formerly Labelexpo Americas)
The North American label and package printing show rebranded in 2026 from Labelexpo Americas to LOUPE Americas, reflecting an expanded focus on flexible packaging and folding carton converting alongside traditional labels. The 2024 edition drew 12,215 visitors from 73 countries and featured 450 exhibitors across 185,000 square feet. The North American label market alone is valued at $13.6 billion. If your packaging involves printing, labeling, flexible film, or folding carton, this show connects you with converters, brand owners, and packaging designers who are actively specifying suppliers.
FachPack (Nuremberg, Germany)
FachPack is a leading European packaging fair with a strong focus on industrial and consumer goods packaging technology. The 2025 edition ran in September in Nuremberg. It’s smaller than Interpack but more frequent and highly targeted — a strong option for companies with European distribution or manufacturing operations looking for focused buyer access without the full Interpack commitment.
ProFood Tech (Chicago)
ProFood Tech is the food and beverage processing counterpart to Pack Expo — a PMMI and Koelnmesse co-production. It focuses specifically on food and beverage processing technology, where Pack Expo covers the broader packaging spectrum. If your clients are primarily food and beverage processors rather than packagers, ProFood Tech puts you in front of a more concentrated buyer audience at McCormick Place.
How to Choose the Right Pack Expo Show (or Shows)
The PMMI data is clear: each show reaches a distinct segment of buyers. The audience overlap between Pack Expo International in Chicago and Pack Expo East in Philadelphia is meaningful but not complete. The Southeast audience is almost entirely additive. The Mexican shows reach buyers who simply don’t appear at U.S. events.
For an exhibitor trying to build a trade show strategy, the practical framework looks like this:
You’re targeting national buyers: Pack Expo International (2026, Chicago) and Pack Expo Las Vegas (2027) are the core. They’re the two largest shows, carry the most brand weight, and attract the broadest industry cross-section.
You have a strong regional focus: Pack Expo East serves the Northeast. Pack Expo Southeast serves the growing manufacturing corridor from Georgia through the Carolinas and Tennessee. Neither replaces a national show, but both add buyers you’d otherwise miss.
You’re building Latin American business: EXPO PACK México and EXPO PACK Guadalajara serve different segments of the Mexican and Latin American market. If Mexico is a meaningful part of your revenue mix or growth plan, one or both shows belong in the calendar.
You want global positioning: Interpack is the move. It’s expensive, logistically complex, and happens every three years — which is exactly why showing up signals serious intent to international buyers.
What to Expect From Your Trade Show Exhibit
Regardless of which Pack Expo show you’re targeting, a few things are consistent across the portfolio: the quality of buyer is high, the pace is fast, and first impressions matter more than they do anywhere else.
Buyers at Pack Expo shows are there specifically to evaluate solutions. They come prepared with budgets, project timelines, and shortlists. The exhibitors who perform best aren’t the ones with the biggest booths — they’re the ones whose exhibit communicates what they do and who they serve within the first few seconds.
If your booth doesn’t make that immediate impression, the conversation you needed to have walks past you on its way to a competitor.
Quick Reference: Pack Expo Show Calendar
| Show | Location | Frequency | Next Date | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pack Expo International | Chicago, IL | Biennial (even years) | Oct 18–21, 2026 | 2,600+ exhibitors, 48,000+ attendees |
| Pack Expo Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV | Biennial (odd years) | 2027 (TBD) | 2,300+ exhibitors, 30,000+ attendees |
| Pack Expo East | Philadelphia, PA | Annual | Early 2027 (TBD) | 500 exhibitors |
| Pack Expo Southeast | Atlanta, GA | Biennial | Apr 12–14, 2027 | 500 exhibitors, 7,000+ attendees |
| EXPO PACK México | Mexico City, Mexico | Biennial | Jun 2–5, 2026 | 700+ exhibitors |
| EXPO PACK Guadalajara | Guadalajara, Mexico | Biennial | Jun 15–17, 2027 | 750+ exhibitors, 16,600 attendees |
| Interpack | Düsseldorf, Germany | Triennial | May 7–13, 2026 | 2,800+ exhibitors, 142,000+ attendees |
All show dates and statistics sourced from PMMI official show websites and post-show press releases. Dates subject to change — always verify with official show organizers before committing travel and exhibit budgets.