Editor David Pittman shares his final thoughts on the year that was, and looks forward to what will be a challenging yet ultimately successful and rewarding 12 months for the industry and Digital Labels & Packaging
Having started so positively as the world looked to move into a post-pandemic phase, geopolitical, economic and supply chain issues have managed to make the meme, ‘2021 = 2020 won, 2022 = 2020 too’ seem like a very real reality for many.
Despite this, it has been another successful year for large parts of labels and packaging. From suppliers finally getting the chance to show off their latest and greatest developments in the iron once again, to printers and converters making major and sometimes paradigm shifting strategic and operational investments, it has been a great time to be in and around the digital print for packaging value chain.
For this publication, Rachael and I, it has also been a triumphant year. Adding an extra edition of Digital Labels & Packaging to the magazine’s publishing schedule allowed us to better serve the industry with information and knowledge so widely sought in a market that develops on an almost daily basis. Digital Print for Brand Success similarly fulfils this requirement, and the conference’s successful return in the spring of this year following its Covid-enforced hiatus proved this. Keynote speaker Mark Wright, he of BBC’s The Apprentice fame, got the audience warmed up and engaged, with Jenny Stanley of Appetite Creative and Jackpot Peanut Butter’s Rupert Leigh other highlights from the day. Building on this success, Digital Print for Brand Success returns on 17 May, 2023 at a new venue and with a new format, intended to bring even greater value to those in attendance and the overall digital package printing industry. Read here for more information.
Also back for 2023 are the Digital Labels & Packaging Awards. Read here for more, but in a nutshell, get your best work submitted by 21 April, 2023 for judging by our crack panel of industry experts, then get yourself along to The Kia Oval in London on Thursday, June 29 to celebrate the best the industry has to offer (and perhaps even pick up a trophy yourself). Launched this year, these awards were every bit the success I knew they would be and will be bigger and better in 2023. You won’t want to miss out.
All of this leads me to have every faith that next year will be another standout one for this brilliant industry I am lucky enough to call home.
Perhaps next year the meme will be ‘2023 = 2020 free’? That only leaves me to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. I look forward to working with you all in 2023, but before then enjoy the final issue of Digital Labels & Packaging in 2022.
This ‘Editor’s perspective’ column was first published in the November/December 2022 issue of Digital Labels & Packaging, which you can read online here
