The second edition of UKPackaging Expo is set to unfold on November 10th and 11th 2026 at the Convention Centre at KingsDock, Liverpool. It follows a successful launch event held at Manchester Central last year, which proved to be an exceptional business networking and trade hub, designed to serve the vibrant and diverse packaging industry from the Northern Powerhouse heartlands.
Described by one by visitor as “full of doers” whose forebears helped launch the world-changing industrial revolution, England’s north is the ideal location for an exhibition which serves a huge swathe of different sectors.
From farm-fresh food to automotives, beauty and pharmaceuticals to furniture and gifts, electricals to documents and books, packaging is a crucial element of the manufacturing and logistical process for businesses worldwide. As UK Packaging Expo continues to build momentum with a solid offering that brings sustainable innovations together with the nuts, bolts and glue which holds this market sector together, the 2026 show is already set to be a cracker.
The Convention Centre at Kings Dock, Liverpool is an exciting and inspirational venue for the event. Situated on a 7.6-acre regeneration site between the Royal Albert Dock and Queens Dock on the River Mersey, it is a lynchpin business and leisure hub for the region. Liverpool itself is a fantastic city, home to over 2500 listed buildings and a vibrant cultural scene. It’s location on the Western coast makes it as convenient for visitors from Ireland as it is for England, Scotland and Wales.
Adrian Robinson of Seidel GmbH commented: “With so much industry in the north-west, it makes perfect sense to hold an exhibition here. There’s a reason companies like Unilever are here with a strong presence, and the [2026] edition will be even stronger.”
Thought leadership
In the year since its launch, UK Packaging Expo has proven it’s more than “just another show” and has established itself as an important, convenient, cost-effective and efficient alternative for suppliers in this sector. For companies that want to showcase their products to an eclectic audience from home and overseas markets, UKPackaging Expo is a commercially driven, insight-led platform which has relevance to multiple sectors.
So much more than a basic, standalone function, packaging occupies a position at the intersection of branding and consumer expectations, sustainability, logistics, AI and a highly complex global regulatory framework. This wide-reaching remit places turnkey production-line machinery alongside adhesive applications, sustainable packing tape, anti-leakage cartons, international freight and pallet-stabilising solutions recycled plastics, roll bags, ecommerce delivery packets and more.
In line with packaging industry macro-themes, sustainability and EPR compliance will have crucial centre-stage roles at the UKPackaging Expo, with absorbing sessions at the Content Theatre and expert consultants on the showfloor who are able to provide invaluable on-the-spot guidance and advice to both visitors and fellow exhibitors.
Speaking during last year’s show, Gillian Garside Wright, MD of Aura Pioneering, explained that the UK is falling behind the USA and rest of Europe on EPR compliance issues, a source of anxiety for export businesses: “It’s about capturing data and knowing your obligations,” she explained, “which change depending on where products are sold. The requirements shift week by week.”
The message is clear: For those exporting companies that don’t want to be left behind, staying on top of this rapidly shifting regulatory environment is critical if they are to survive, thrive and remain competitive.
On the critical subject of Artificial Intelligence UKPackaging Expo Head of Marketing, Naomi Stewart, highlights the fact that the packaging industry is “only at the beginning of this technological shift”, which is set to deliver far-reaching and fundamental change to the way it operates. The 2026 show is set to explore how AI will create a golden opportunity “for our industry to rethink how packaging is developed and produced. The companies that embrace AI early will have a real competitive advantage.”
Confirmed exhibitors
A diverse mix of top-tier exhibitors showcasing a broad array of packaging innovations and robust manufacturing solutions are set to join the show in November. Confirmed exhibitors include:
Unilever, Markem Imaje, Dura-ID , Tirrit UK, Protek Packaging, Cpack, Countrywide Freight, Avantade, Impress, Chubby Gorilla, BlueSky, Zevero, Jowat, Stax Converting, Elried, Sunula / Travtec, BRC Proms Ltd / Macmillan Cancer Support, Air Sea Containers, Beyondly, Castle Industries, Origin Packaging, Fides Reklam, Bra Pack, mbn Plastik, Simsek Ambalaj, Yenel, Cloud ERP, Rotion, Cradloop, The Label Makers, Avery Dennison, Marinpack, Carrick Packaging, Cap Coder, RECOUP, Steadfast Tapes, Cerrion
MPMA, BPF and more, with large swathes of floorspace already reserved alongside them.
The Managing Director of UKPackaging Expo, Jordan Bamford, commented: “Following our extremely successful launch event in 2025, we’re hugely excited about the forthcoming edition in Liverpool. A strong contingent of industry leading companies have confirmed that they will be joining us and we’re confident of achieving an incredibly strong and diverse event come the autumn.
“There is a huge appetite in the industry for an alternative exhibition solution in the north of England and Liverpool offers a first-class venue with excellent transport links to the rest of the UK and wider world. We are hugely looking forward to sharing more of our plans in the weeks and months ahead, and to welcoming suppliers and visitors from right across the board”.
Exhibitors and visitors alike can look forward to leaving UKPackaging Expo 2026 fully armed with solid business-building knowledge and crucial insights into the future direction of their industry sector. To find out more visit www.ukpackagingexpo.co.uk
