Thousands of packaging professionals are preparing to descend on Excel London on 16 & 17 September, with advance registrations putting London Packaging Week on course for one of its busiest editions yet.
The visitor list brings together some of the world’s biggest brands and retailers with a new generation of disruptive consumer businesses. M&S, Amazon, Diageo, L’Oréal, Unilever, Harrods, John Lewis, Primark and Charlotte Tilbury are among those represented, alongside challenger names including Blank Street Coffee, TRIP, Oatly, Grind, JENKI, Gousto and Beauty Pie.
More than 220 exhibitors and 90+ speakers will meet that audience at Excel London, as brands seek out new materials, technologies, suppliers and ideas to tackle some of packaging’s biggest commercial challenges, from regulation and cost pressures to sustainability and rapidly changing consumer expectations.
Josh Brooks, Divisional Director – Packaging Portfolio at Easyfairs, said: “The momentum behind this year’s London Packaging Week has been fantastic, but what stands out is the quality of the audience. We’re seeing senior decision-makers and specialists from some of the world’s most recognisable businesses coming with genuine packaging challenges and projects they want to progress.
“Whether they’re looking for a new material, a more efficient format, fresh creative thinking or expertise to help navigate sustainability and regulation, they’re coming to find answers. Our job is to put those people in the same room as the suppliers, designers, innovators and experts who can help provide them.”
That calibre extends beyond the show floor, with some of the world’s best-known brands taking audiences inside the projects, decisions and ideas occupying their teams.
Coca-Cola’s Francisco Nogueira and Unhidden Design’s Sam Lucking will present the UK premiere of the Schweppes Skittle Evolution Bottle, while Alex Center will share the story behind building Tom Holland’s BERO premium non-alcoholic beer brand from scratch.
Piera Toniolo of Dolce & Gabbana Beauty will explore the role of storytelling and emotion in luxury packaging, while Diageo, L’Occitane Group, PZ Cussons, Selfridges, Müller and William Grant & Sons are among the other major names contributing to a programme spanning consumer behaviour, design, sustainability, regulation and innovation.
But London Packaging Week is also asking a different question: who will everybody be talking about next?
'The Brands to watch: businesses blowing up' session on Wednesday afternoon will spotlight emerging consumer businesses, bringing together Arianna Broderick of HairGym, Natalie Williams of Citizens of Soil and Nohra Currie of FOLI to explore how challenger brands use product, packaging and identity to cut through established categories.
That same spirit runs across the Start-Up Zone, Discovery Theatre and Design Hub powered by Pentawards, putting emerging businesses, creative thinking and new technologies alongside the established brands and suppliers shaping packaging at scale. The Innovation Gallery will add a further 27 curated packaging developments for visitors to discover across the show floor.
Brooks added: “The mix is what makes this week so exciting. You can hear how some of the world’s biggest brands are approaching packaging and, minutes later, meet a challenger business or discover a technology you may never have encountered before.
“If packaging is part of your world and you haven’t registered yet, there is still time. Come with a challenge to solve, a project to progress or simply an open mind. With this much of the industry coming together in London, you want to be part of the conversation.”
London Packaging Week takes place on 16 & 17 September 2026 at Excel London.
Registration is free for industry professionals and includes access to the exhibition, full conference programme, networking events and feature areas.