It was a wonderful opportunity to hear from speakers who created their latest and innovative packaging projects and understand how they were inspired by their clients or by deadlines. As I took my seat, I did not realise there would be so many surprises ahead.

The afternoon kicked off with Show & Tell - 1: Unshackling Print and Packaging. One of the highlights of the session were the speakers. There were four speakers in all. The one first speaker was Sahil Girsh Rao, who is the director of Unbox. His presentation was aesthetically pleasing as it was related to LED box. His company in Pune has made and showcased easy and intuitive LED boxes which can be used for various purposes from stationary to gifts. Most helpful for companies that need to be ready-to-adapt quickly to new trends in the packaging industry, the current trend being digital printing. The black colour box collapsible which they designed for Nykaa's IPO launch where the logo was spot UV was amazing in its sense.

The second speaker was Kuldip Goel of Any Graphics who showcased two label products which the Noida-based company had created. Both works stood out for their uniqueness. He spoke about different types of security labels like hologram, UV readable and tear-able labels. Goel spoke about having developed a new type of labels based on the challenges that his team saw in the current marketplace. He introduced the delegates to the label technology called AGPL. Goel said, "We are opening a factory in Noida. It will be a green factory."

The third speaker was Isha Desphande, the director of Trigon Digipack who spoke about the importance of customer engagement through design effects. She talked about the Diageo Premium label which was digital plus screen printing. The case study which grabbed everyone's attention was: the Dettol Zipper pouches for Haj Pilgrims in Saudi Arabia. Over the years, Trigon has risen from a grassroot level, from being a proofing and mockup making company to becoming a pioneering digital print packaging solution company. Trigon caters to the top FMCG brands as well as more than 400 Indian startups. .

The last speaker of this session was Manu Choudhury, director, CDC Printers. He pointed out how a boutique brand - and how CDC pushed them to print volume increase by 10-20% by adding value-addition to the rigid box. Thereby increasing the MOQ. He highlighted the importance of user experience and how to pay attention to each and every aspect of structural packaging: the brand, the product, the experience, the process, and the concept. Another game-changer was the Nykaa Red glitter UV Lip Balm Box.

The first session had something for everyone in packaging, be it, a designer, a technologist or responsible for production and processing.

After which, during the second session of Show & Tell which was Out of the Box. The session was kick-started by Rajesh Voruganti – GM Production of ITC Packaging and Printing Business. Voruganti highlighted the mono family structure where the team at ITC changed the Maharani Dal packaging flexible structure from PET/PE to BOPP/ PE. This case-study resonated with me, since I have worked on a similar project when I was doing my internship at ITC in Chennai. Later,  Rajesh Voruganti presented the Chivas Regal- Limited edition product that was designed by Sussanne Khan which has 18 identifiable tastes, flora and fauna that is infused on the case.

Soham Gujral, owner, Unidos his session focused on POS supplies for retail brands. The best part of this presentation was the ease with which Unidos has made easy-and-attractive displays while making the fabricating time as low as possible for the consumer. He addressed the issues of how the industry can benefit from eCommerce and sustainability. The lessons learned from the speech extended far beyond POS manufacturing. The main aim being: how brands and creatives who are looking to discover new ideas and inspiration, should be provided this in the form of a new format, process or cutting-edge material.

Next Ayush Khetan, MD, Khetan Corru Casespoke about how his company is leveraging the advancement of digital printing to bring sales to other established parts of his business. Today, CorruCase is not just a corrugated box manufacturing company. They are a corrugated packaging solution provider who have helped their customers create value in their supply chain by helping them develop innovative packaging designs. Later I learnt they are perhaps one of India’s rare corrugated plants to run on solar power, using its captive rooftop solar plant.

With its focus on future technologies, Show & Tell is a must-attend for anyone looking for the ‘next big thing’ in print and packaging. Even after the sessions concluded, the lobby was a bustling hub with brand owners, converters, and manufacturers who were excited about the opportunities it brings both to packaging suppliers and operators.

I spoke to Noel D'cunha whose brain child this event is. He said, "We are trying to bring the different eco systems together. Also the main aim is to talk about the packaging journey. And not boast about your corporate success and company history. The team is very hopeful that we can support and inspire attendees on each step of that journey from concept to consumer.

I concur with Noel D'cunha. This approach provides a truly unique platform in our industry – bringing together focused events on packaging design and development, outsourcing and production in one place to create a true vision of the future of packaging across its life.

Show & Tell is a not to be missed event, if you want to see the amazing packaging projects and investments in factories in our industry.