Labelexpo postponed until next year

The already rescheduled Labelexpo Europe has been postponed again, from September until April next year, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic still raging across Europe.

Postponed to next year: Labelexpo in Brussels

The organiser cited the slow roll-out of the vaccine in Europe, and ongoing uncertainty over international travel as key reasons. The push-back to next year will though suit the many Australian label printers who like to make the biennial trip to Brussels.

Organiser Tarsus will also run Labelexpo Americas in September 2022, and is producing a new US Label Congress in September this year.

Labelexpo Europe will now take place at the Brussels Expo Centre on 26-29 April 2022. The next edition of Labelexpo Americas, meanwhile, will take place on 13-15 September 2022 in Chicago.

The new Label Congress 2021 takes place 29 September - 1 October, also in Chicago. It includes conference sessions covering all areas of label and package print technology and markets, an educational stream, Label Academy Live, and an exhibition of new technology, with leading suppliers displaying their latest equipment, software and services. The congress and educational sessions will also be broadcast to a global audience.

Lisa Milburn, managing director of the Tarsus Labels, Packaging and Brand Print group, said “Due to continuing uncertainty about the speed of the vaccine rollout in Europe and the ability of our global visitors to travel to Brussels, we have made the decision, in consultation with our exhibitors, to postpone Labelexpo Europe until April 2022.

“Label Congress 2021 will be our first physical gathering for the US label industry since the pandemic began, and we look forward to welcoming attendees to this keynote event."

Chris Ellison, managing director of OPM Labels & Packaging group and president of European label federation Finat, commented, “It is definitely the right decision to move Labelexpo Europe to April 2022, when we should have returned to some sort of normality as regards international travel and social mixing. I for one cannot wait. I am really missing the buzz from walking the aisles of the world’s leading label show, seeing first hand new technology from the world’s leading suppliers, meeting with old friends and making new contacts.”

The end of September was slated to mark the return of the international print expo, with LabelExpo, then the thrice postponed wide format show Fespa in Amsterdam, and US show Print on the calendar for the beginning of October, although both are likely out of reach for the ANZ print community.