I used to travel a lot, routinely flying more than 50,000 miles a year – all in the name of labels. In addition to regularly occurring events like the Labelexpos, TLMI meetings, FTA FORUM & INFOFLEX, I was often invited to open houses and “press junkets” overseas. Then I changed positions, the pandemic happened, and I stopped traveling nearly as much as I had been.

Over the years, the label industry has afforded me the opportunity to see places I’d only dreamed of visiting. Some notable locales the job has taken me are Indonesia, India, Israel, Athens, Amsterdam, Italy, Germany, Monte Carlo, Manchester, Dublin, and Belgium (so much Belgium).  Then there’s the plethora of US states and cities I’ve flown to for various supplier and converter tours and visits. 

The miles would add up. I was proud of my Gold status on United Airlines and enjoyed the perks that went with it. But that seems like a lifetime ago. I’ve been thinking about past travels recently,  as 2025 has me once again spending lots of time in airplanes and airports. (And unfortunately, some unplanned extra time as my home airport is Newark.) 

Winter to Spring has had me “on the road again” – the most in six years. And I must say, I have been enjoying it. Not only because traveling can be fun, exciting, and adventurous, but because it indicates that our industry remains healthy and vibrant. 

Label and packaging events run the gamut, and they offer a glimpse of both the industry’s diversity and growth trajectory. In a relatively short span these past few months I’ve taken five trips (which is nothing compared to L&NW editor Greg Hrinya’s travel schedule!), and here is some of what I’ve learned:

Bobst hosts Open House in Atlanta

In February, I joined nearly 100 label and package printing professionals at the new 28,000-square-foot Bobst Atlanta Competence Center for an Open House event. The sparkling new facility opened last year and is dedicated to serving customers in the label and flexible packaging sector. It showcases the press manufacturer’s flexographic, digital, and “All-in-One” hybrid technologies. 

Throughout the event, Bobst demonstrated how its machines simplify label production. Presentations addressed Bobst’s vision in shaping the future of package printing, with a focus on connectivity, digitalization, automation, and sustainability.

A focal point was on BOBST Connect, the cloud-based digital platform that enables users to have a complete overview of their production process, from the PDF to the finished product. Designed to allow converters to improve productivity, maximize efficiencies, and eliminate waste throughout the production process, BOBST Connect is continually updated with new capabilities. In addition, it was shown how the platform harnesses the power of the Bobst ACCUCHECK system on the Bobst Digital Master Series by enabling converters to track and optimize their productivity and quality while archiving and sharing quality reports.

Labelexpo Mexico 2025 in Guadalajra

In 2008, I was brand new to the industry, and one of my first trips was to Label Summit Latin America in Mexico City. Much has changed since then, as that show’s regional focus was all of Latin America, from Mexico to South America. Illustrating the strength and growth of the Mexican label market, 2023 saw the debut of Labelexpo Mexico, also in Mexico City. The show’s second edition took place in early April, this time in the industrial city of Guadalajara, which I was a first-time visitor. 

The event attracted 6,655 label and packaging converters and industry professionals, representing a 15% increase in visitors since the 2023 edition in Mexico City. It looked and felt like a true Labelexpo, with large, immersive booths and loads of running equipment on display. Notably, there were quite a bit of flexo presses demonstrated. Despite the inroads made by digital, flexography is alive and well south of the border. To my eyes, the Mark Andy and Domino booths were absolutely packed throughout the three-day event.

Craft Beer Labels in Indianapolis

While not a label show, the annual Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) & BrewExpo America tradeshow is well worth visiting for its label and packaging content. I’ve been to this event before, and the label converter exhibitors never disappoint when it comes to educating visitors on the latest label and packaging trends and innovations impacting the competitive craft beer market. 

Held at the Indianapolis Convention Center, CBC brought together nearly 8,000 attendees from more than 61 countries. The show has the distinction of being the largest industry gathering for alcoholic beverage producers in the US. There were numerous narrow web label converters exhibiting, and for the most part, those I spoke with reported strong interest from independent craft beer brand owners walking the aisles. Exhibiting converters whom I caught up with included Brook + Whittle, Resource Label Group, Custom Label, Blue Label Packaging Co., Stickers and More, Stomp, TLF Graphics, Century Printing & Packaging, Inovar Packaging Group, Leapin’ Lizard Labels, InTouch Labels & Packaging, Red Oak Label LLC, and Atlas Labels and Packaging. In-demand labeling print product formats for craft beer remain in PS labels affixed to aluminum cans, as well as shrink sleeve labels, in addition to keg collars, stickers, and other promotional items. 

As a bonus, this show is also a lot of fun. There’s a lot of beer tasting going on, and it can feel a bit like a craft beer festival as much as a business meeting. If you decide to go – or exhibit – take it from me and pace yourself when it comes to sampling the goods.

Steel City hosts FTA INFOFLEX

I had never been to Pittsburgh before, and now I can’t wait to go back. A mainstay on my business trip calendar, the Flexographic Technical Association’s annual event is like an old friend – there is a comfort in the familiar, and it always delivers equal parts education and tradeshow. This year in the “Steel City,” by the numbers, more than 1,000 attendees had the chance to visit with 180 exhibitors and hear from the 35 speakers that took part in the conference program. 

An INFOFLEX highlight for me is getting a chance to meet with the future of flexo – the graphic arts college students who participate in The Phoenix Challenge, the annual competition that challenges students to develop and present real-world, flexo-based packaging solutions. I was happy to see that this year’s overall winner is Illinois State University (ISU). Well-deserved, ISU took home the top prize for the very first time. Its graphic arts program is reaping the benefits of receiving donations from flexo companies such as Cyngient and Mark Andy.

Speaking of well-deserved, during the May 4th Awards Ceremony at FTA INFOFLEX, Bettylyn Krafft, the penultimate student advocate in flexographic printing circles, and co-founder of The Phoenix Challenge, became the 67th and newest member of Flexographic Technical Association (FTA)’s Flexo Hall of Fame. Paul Teachout, FTA’s Board chair, said, “For almost three decades now, Bettylyn has championed the Phoenix Challenge, placing hundreds into our industry who have gone on to amazing careers – I guarantee you know one of them.”

Pittsburgh was a great setting for the show – a picturesque, walkable downtown filled with great restaurants. My only complaint is that it rained, and the Pirates weren’t in town while I was there.

Introducing HP Nio, Next Stop: Barcelona

Finally, as this issue goes to press, I am just back from a quick cross-country trip to California for Dsccop Edge Long Beach, where a focus was on automation and AI, as HP Nio was launched. Nio is an AI agent that provides real-time insights analytics to optimize production performance. It aims to maximize resources, drive productivity, and unlock new avenues for growth. “For the first time, AI advancements enable us to automate what was previously impossible, pushing the boundaries of automation in print,” said Joan Perez Pericot, VP and GM, HP Industrial Print Software & Solutions. “Today’s announcements reflect our commitment to delivering on our vision to better automate and control the entire production floor end-to-end with less human intervention.”

As of now, I have no travel plans for the summer, however, on the horizon in September, Labelexpo Europe makes its Barcelona debut. For this there will be much to talk about in the coming weeks, and it is a trip many of us in the industry are looking forward to.

Steve Katz is the former editor of Label & Narrow Web and is now a regular contributor. He is focused on helping companies in the label industry share their news and tell their stories. Follow him on X @LabelSteve.