As one of the largest trade fairs for the processing & packaging industry in Asia, Shanghai World of Packaging (swop) each year attracts tens of thousands of visiting professionals from the sectors food and beverage packagings, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and consumer goods. A promising investment opportunity for international exhibitors.

More than 30,000 visitors attended swop 2023, among them well-known brands like Mars, Heinz, Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Nestlé, Häagen-Dazs, Danone, Pepsi, Bayer, L’Oréal, Dior, Nivea, P&G or Unilever – in 2024, the halls are said to be of a similar calibre. The reason is that for these top brands, the trade fair is an important meeting opportunity within the booming Chinese packaging market. This is where all relevant market segments and trends come together. This year as well, national and international exhibitors, among them from China, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom, are expected from 18 to 20 November on the approx. 65,000 square meters of exhibition space at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. The swop trade fair, which is part of the portfolio of interpack alliance, covers all sectors of the packaging industry, from machines and materials to logistics and recycling.

88 percent of the visitors at swop 2023 were decision makers or influencers, and for the current edition, the hosts of Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd. are hoping that high-ranking experts from the industry will participate in order to purposefully strengthen new opportunities for networking and business. In this context, the cooperation of swop with important key players in the Chinese market is of central importance. For example, the new cooperation with the “Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST)” will attract numerous professionals from the food industry to the trade fair.

New forum for food processing and intelligent manufacturing

The new partnership with CIFST allows swop to purposefully extend its influence to exclusive purchasers within the Chinese food industry. The cooperation marks the debut of the “Food Processing and Intelligent Manufacturing Zone” at the trade fair, which specializes in innovative processing technologies and packaging solutions for food producers. The forum will cover a number of current topics, among them artificial intelligence, food big data, image analysis of food, machine learning, intelligent manufacture, nutrition and safety as well as quality control. Around 300 key players and managers from the industry are expected.

In addition, swop will again house the SAVE FOOD Forum with the SAVE FOOD Design Award and the Sustainability Design Award. The awards highlight the importance of sustainability in the conception of packaging, especially for the fight against food waste and food loss, and offer participating exhibitors added visibility.

Focus on market drivers 

The comprehensive accompanying programme at swop, which offers networking, lectures and special exhibitions, offers exhibitors an additional opportunity to present their products and innovations, exchange knowledge, establish valuable contacts and open up new business opportunities. The “Smart Packaging Zone”, with the motto “intelligence, digitalization, personalization” presents innovative packaging technologies and smart factories. The “Green Power Zone” focuses on sustainable and recyclable materials and offers a platform to discuss trends in packaging. There is also a matchmaking platform for intense, personal talks between exhibitors and users, supported by comprehensive global visitor data and a continually growing base of purchasers.

Exhibitors can still register 

swop offers the opportunity to meet influential leaders in the industry, gain insights into the up-and-coming-Asian market and enter into strategic business partnerships. Interested exhibitors can still register for swop – one of the easiest and most comfortable ways is to participate in the German or International Pavilion with an all-inclusive package.

Participation by international exhibitors and visitors will be further facilitated by China's decision to implement a unilateral visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from 15 countries, including Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Austria and Poland, to travel to China for 15 days without a visa, including for business visits.