PACKAGING BECOMES A TEAM SPORT: GLOBAL BRANDS HEAD TO LONDON

London Packaging Week 2026 reflects packaging’s evolution into a cross-functional discipline, with leading brands sending broader teams to Excel London. Marketing, design, sustainability, procurement and operations now converge on packaging decisions. The event offers exhibitors, speakers and networking opportunities, underscoring collaboration as the driving force behind the industry’s future.  

London Packaging Week 2026 is set to welcome broader cross-functional teams from the world’s biggest brands, reflecting the collaborative nature of modern packaging development. Amazon, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, L’Oréal, Estée Lauder, Charlotte Tilbury, Jo Malone London, Disney, Diageo, Unilever, Reckitt, Superdrug, Boots No7, John Lewis and Molton Brown are among those sending multiple representatives to Excel London this September.  

Once seen as a specialist discipline, packaging has evolved into a strategic arena where marketing, design, engineering, procurement, sustainability, operations, innovation and regulatory compliance converge. Decisions made in this space now shape consumer perception, brand growth, environmental performance, supply chain resilience and commercial efficiency. As a result, successful packaging projects increasingly depend on collaboration across departments rather than expertise from a single function.  

The audience at London Packaging Week mirrors this shift. Alongside packaging heads will be brand leaders, creative directors, procurement specialists, engineers, technologists, sustainability experts, R&D teams, innovation managers and policy professionals. Sema Tezel Basbug, Head of Marketing at Easyfairs, noted: “Packaging decisions are no longer made in isolation. Marketing, sustainability, engineering, procurement, operations and innovation all have a stake in the outcome, because every packaging decision carries commercial, environmental and operational implications.”  

She added that the event reflects how packaging projects now happen inside businesses, connecting disciplines with designers, material innovators, manufacturers, retailers and policymakers. “You might arrive looking for a new material and leave having solved a regulatory challenge,” she said. “Those unexpected connections are becoming just as valuable as the innovations on display.”  

Taking place on 16 & 17 September at Excel London, London Packaging Week 2026 will feature more than 220 exhibitors, 90+ expert speakers and thousands of professionals from luxury, beauty, premium drinks, FMCG and design. Strategic partners including WRAP, PackUK, the Food and Drink Federation, the British Retail Consortium and INCPEN will join to explore the ideas, technologies and collaborations shaping the future of packaging. Networking opportunities such as the WRAP Breakfast, Women in Packaging Breakfast, Design Networking Drinks, First Timers Drinks, The Inner Circle Bar and Exhibitor Networking Reception will further strengthen connections across the industry.  

Because the future of packaging will not be built by one department, but by teams working together.