Labelexpo Renamed LOUPE from January 1, 2026

On January 1, 2026, the Labelexpo global label printing exhibition series underwent a brand upgrade and was officially renamed "LOUPE". Its full Chinese exhibition name is "LOUPE Global Label and Packaging Printing Exhibition", and a new brand identity and visual system were launched at the same time.

The organizer stated that while continuing to deepen its work in the label market, it will actively expand into more business segments in the printing and packaging field, such as flexible packaging printing and folding carton printing. This move marks the formal entry of this industry event, which has a history of more than 45 years, into a new stage that is more inclusive, forward-looking and globally influential.

At present, the label converting industry is undergoing a transformation, giving rise to "one-stop" packaging printing services covering the full range of packaging formats. Industry practitioners have also expanded into flexible packaging and are discovering new opportunities in folding cartons. The LOUPE global label and packaging printing exhibition series will fully reflect this trend of change.

As could already be seen at the former Labelexpo shows, label converters are no longer limited to simply producing labels; carton printing and flexible packaging printing have been added to their product portfolios. Ms. Jade Grace, Executive Director of the LOUPE global exhibition series, said: "Exhibitions need to keep pace with the times and stay in sync with industry development."

In fact, Andy Thomas-Emans, Strategic Director of the label business under Informa, said that this rebranding is the result of years of preparation. At present, the label group owns two major brands: Labelexpo/LOUPE and Labels & Labeling.

He continued: "Today, this landscape has undergone a fundamental shift. The industry is currently seeing large-scale consolidation, with multi-site corporate groups generally integrating label, flexible packaging and folding carton businesses. In a fiercely competitive label market with weak growth, label converters have found that flexible packaging not only brings higher profit margins but is also a perfect complement to their label business."

In addition, the renaming has received broad support from the industry. The former Labelexpo hired a brand agency and conducted in-depth research with industry stakeholders including suppliers, converters and industry associations.

Ms. Grace said: "The survey results overwhelmingly supported the rebranding, which actually surprised our management team considerably. After that, we worked extensively with the brand agency, internal teams, stakeholders and industry associations."

Andy added: "The repositioning of the LOUPE exhibition is not about becoming a 'big and comprehensive' printing show like drupa, nor about becoming a packaging show like Fachpack or PackExpo. We focus on the core printing technologies of the label industry — including inline printing, digital printing and hybrid printing — technologies that will disrupt the flexible packaging and folding carton converting industries. At LOUPE, you will not see satellite (CI) presses, gravure presses or offset presses, because we do not intend to compete in these areas. Our core business is short-run, value-added production for labels, flexible packaging and folding cartons."

At Labelexpo Europe 2025, more than 25% of exhibitors had business covering multiple areas including labels, flexible packaging and folding cartons.

Flexible packaging has long been commonplace at Labelexpo shows. For many years it was regarded as a "natural evolution" of the label industry, giving full play to the inherent advantages of label converters — adaptability, variety and speed — enabling them to serve one of the fastest-growing segments of the packaging industry. In recent years, mid-web press equipment from flexo and digital printing manufacturers has become commonplace.

Chris Ellison, Managing Director of the UK's OPM Group, noted: "By revitalizing existing assets, exploring new packaging materials and following global trends, label converters can not only open up new revenue channels and deepen customer relationships, but also build long-term competitiveness for business development. The group was among the first to move into flexible packaging nearly 20 years ago."

The global flexible packaging industry has grown faster than the label industry. According to Grand View Research, the industry is currently valued at approximately US$250 billion to US$300 billion globally, with an annual growth rate of 4.7%.

This field has long been dominated by large, established label converting enterprises whose scale limits their flexibility in responding to small-batch production, SKU proliferation and the rise of emerging brands — exactly the areas where label converters excel.

Flexible packaging, such as stand-up pouches and single-serve sachets, is gradually replacing rigid containers on shelves, mainly thanks to its sustainability and convenience advantages. Although flexible packaging itself is not recyclable, recyclable or compostable stand-up pouch products are already available on the market. In addition, compared with the rigid containers they replace, flexible packaging requires significantly fewer environmental resources in transportation and production.

Today's consumers also value convenience. Flexible packaging formats such as resealable pouches and single-serve sachets are in strong demand in the food, beverage, personal care and pharmaceutical industries. These packaging formats fit perfectly with the characteristics of narrow-web presses, which excel in small-batch, high-mix production.

Folding cartons, as a relatively newer area of development, first appeared at Labelexpo Europe 2023 with the initial application of production technology. By 2025, Edale became the first and only manufacturer at the show to demonstrate inline flexo printing and converting technology for folding cartons.

Will Parker, a packaging industry executive and Labelexpo folding carton ambassador, said that inline carton production is not a new technology but has regained attention in recent years.

He further explained: "Similarly, the beauty and personal care industry has long relied on short-run, highly decorated carton production, using hybrid workflows to manufacture rigid boxes, sleeve labels and gift packaging, often completing these products in a single pass through processes such as hot foil stamping, creasing and die-cutting."

Parker noted that the urgency of the current conversation is what is new.

Sustainability regulations, SKU proliferation and rising energy costs have brought these capabilities wider attention, especially for label converters seeking business diversification.

In 1980, the first exhibition, named "Labelex 80", was held in London, bringing together 44 label industry suppliers, thus beginning the development path of Labelexpo. Since then, with the in-depth content support of the professional media Labels & Labeling, Labelexpo's global exhibition network has continued to expand. The magazine will retain its original brand.

In 2023, the Labelexpo global label printing exhibition series joined Informa, the world's largest B2B exhibition organizer. The group has more than 800 brands worldwide, 14,000 employees, and operations in 30 countries and regions. Through linkage with Informa's complementary exhibition resources in areas such as healthcare, food and nutrition, and beauty and aesthetics, LOUPE will provide sponsors, exhibitors and visitors with broader industry insights and business opportunities.

The first exhibition held under the "LOUPE" name will be LOUPE Americas, taking place September 15-17, 2026 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Chicago, USA; followed by LOUPE India, taking place October 29 - November 1, 2026 at the India Expo Centre in Noida, Delhi, India; and then LOUPE South China, taking place December 2-4, 2026 in Halls 10 and 12 of the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center (Bao'an New Venue).

And Labelexpo Asia 2025, held December 2-5 last year at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, was the last exhibition under the Labelexpo brand.

The new brand name "LOUPE" comes from the English word for "magnifying glass", a tool indispensable in print shops around the world, often used to closely inspect the quality and detail of printed matter, precisely reflecting the industry's pursuit of excellence.

At the same time, "LOUPE" is also the acronym for "Labels & Outer Packaging Embellishment". This implies that, on the basis of continuing to deepen its core label printing business, the exhibition will further expand its exhibit scope to cover a broader range of areas such as flexible packaging, folding cartons and post-press finishing.

The Labels & Labeling division will retain its original name and brand identity in this brand upgrade. The division also belongs to Informa Group, but will not carry out rebranding in sync with the LOUPE exhibitions.

Labels & Labeling is the authoritative publication of the global label industry and has been a trusted voice in the industry for 45 years. Its core strength lies in its focus on serving narrow-web and mid-web label converters and their supporting ecosystems.