Portugal will provide 30% of the international attendance at Hispack 2024

Portugal will be the leading country in terms of the number of international visitors to Hispack and is expected to account for 30% of the total number of foreign visitors to the Spanish packaging trade fair, which kicks off on 7 May at Fira de Barcelona. Likewise, nine Portuguese companies, mostly from the materials, industrial packaging and primary packaging sectors, are participating as exhibitors at Hispack with the aim of expanding their sales in the Spanish market.

This year it is estimated that almost a thousand Portuguese packaging professionals will travel to the Catalan capital to discover the offer of Spanish manufacturers and distributors of packaging, processing and transformation technology, as well as packaging materials and elements. According to AMEC data, Portugal is the sixth destination country for Spanish packaging machinery exports, with figures that have not stopped growing since 2020. The versatility, quality, innovation and after-sales service of Spanish packaging solutions are highly appreciated in the Portuguese market.

Hispack, the key to the Spanish market

At the same time, nine Portuguese firms (two more than in 2022) are joining the list of Hispack exhibitors this year in search of new business contacts in the Spanish market. Practically all of them are in the Industrial Packaging, Brand Packaging and Premiumpack sectors. They are Epoli Espumas de Polietileno, Imporcash, Litel Litografia e Embalagens, Lival – Art Embalagem, Multisac Embalagens Flexiveis, Polivouga, Lanema Group, Sie and The Navigator Company.

Hispack has been the sector’s leading trade fair in Spain for more than 40 years and one of the most important in the European trade fair calendar for the packaging industry. This year it will be held from 7 to 10 May and will feature more than 800 exhibitors from 28 countries and 1,250 brands represented at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via exhibition centre. More than 27,000 professionals are expected to attend, 10% of them international.

60% of Hispack’s offer corresponds to equipment and machinery for processing, packaging, bottling, packaging manufacturing, coding, labelling and marking, automation, robotics and logistics. The remaining 40% of exhibitors, meanwhile, present raw materials and materials for packaging, containers and packaging, and POS elements for various industrial and consumer sectors, as well as for distribution, e-commerce and retail.

Likewise, 70% of Hispack’s offer is Spanish and the remaining 30% is international. Turkey is the foreign country with the most exhibitors (81), followed by Italy (39), China (31), Germany (23), France (16), the Netherlands (9), Portugal (9) and the United Kingdom (6). The list of exhibitors also includes companies from Poland, Belgium, USA, Egypt, Greece, Morocco, Algeria, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Slovenia, Finland, Malaysia, Mexico, Japan, Latvia, Taiwan, San Marino and Singapore.

Hispack director Xavier Pascual stresses: “The opportunities of the Spanish market and its continuous growth rates are the main attractions for international companies participating in Hispack, as well as the connection of the fair with Latin America and the Mediterranean countries due to their cultural and geographical proximity respectively”.

Almost 90% of Hispack visitors come from Spain. In the international section, Portugal is the country that brought the most professionals in 2022, followed by Italy, France, Germany, Morocco, Turkey, Chile, Mexico, Colombia and the United Kingdom.

As a new feature, in order to promote business meetings with professionals from potential markets with specific investment projects, Hispack is focusing its programme of guest buyers on Mexico, Poland, Morocco and Tunisia, four countries of interest for Spanish exports. In parallel, Hispack will present Japan as a market opportunity for the European packaging industry. In this sense, it will host the visit of a Japanese delegation and will dedicate 9 May to showcasing success stories and promoting networking between European and Japanese companies with a view to activating channels for information exchange and international cooperation.

IBC, meeting point for international visitors

To improve the visitor experience for international visitors, Hispack will set up the International Business Centre (IBC) in Hall 3 of the exhibition centre as a reception point with specific services and its own agenda of activities.

At the IBC, international visitors will be able to receive personalised advice on the most suitable Spanish suppliers to develop their projects; attend conferences on potential markets and the presentation of success stories from both Spanish manufacturers (Why Spanish Solutions) and international manufacturers (Best in class); hold interviews with exhibitors; participate in a business meeting (Brokerage Event) with quick meetings to find suppliers, collaborators or exchange experiences; and go on thematic guided tours of the fair, among other proposals.

Barcelona, March 2024

María Dolores Herranz
Tel. +34 93 233 25 41
mdherranz@firabarcelona.com

Fira de Barcelona Delegation in Portugal
Expotec
Joâo Aguas- Patrícia Lourenço
Tel: +351 214 002 094
portugal@firabarcelona.com