EVENTS | NEWS 13 email: editor@printmonthly.co.uk November | December 2025 - Issue 357 Labelexpo, an international event for the label and package printing industry, has announced a rename and rebrand, following its 2025 edition in Barcelona. As of 2026, Labelexpo will rebrand as LOUPE, an acronym for ‘Labels and Outer-Packaging Embellishment.’ The rebrand is designed to mark a strategic shift in focus, reflecting what the organisers see as the event’s broader scope. The new name aims to include not only labels but also flexible packaging and folding cartons. The first event under the new identity will be LOUPE Americas, which is scheduled to take place in Chicago in September 2026. Labelexpo Europe 2025 took place at the Gran Via venue of Fira Barcelona this year, with the event running until September 19th. PRINTING United Expo, which concluded October 24th at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, saw a record-breaking number of attendees and exhibitors for 2025, as reported by its organisers. According to PRINTING United Alliance, the US print exhibition welcomed over 30,000 registered attendees from 104 countries, a significant increase from the 2024 event which saw almost 25,000 attendees. The event also featured 838 exhibitors showcasing the latest advancements in printing technology, materials, and workflow solutions across a one million sq ft space. The show featured hundreds of new product launches including global debuts, more than 100 educational sessions and presentations, and nearly 60 participating media outlets and association partners from around the world including Print Monthly and sister publication, SignLink. Chris Curran, group president of Media and Events at PRINTING United Alliance who assumed leadership of the annual event this year, adds: “The Expo embodied the convergence of every market under one roof – and the innovation our industry thrives on. “From AI to automation and sustainability, every corner of the show floor was power-packed with solutions driving print forward. We’re already looking ahead to 2026 where the show floor is already 65% sold to date.” PRINTING United Expo will head to Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 23rd to 25th, 2026, with exhibitor and sponsorship bookings already open at the PRINTING United website. PRINTING United Expo will head to Las Vegas for 2026 Labelexpo renames to LOUPE HEIDELBERG highlights the need for digitisation German print press manufacturer, HEIDELBERG, used its recent two-day SHIFT 2025 conference to exchange ideas on the process of digitisation and hybrid print production. The event in September featured both external speakers and interactive practical workshops, with more than 200 guests from all over Europe and overseas attending the summit. HEIDELBERG highlighted digitisation as a key way to combat rising costs and increased competition within the print industry in recent years. The print press manufacturer posits that the solution is “the consistent digitisation and automation of as many processes as possible, as well as the increased use of robotics to reduce manual intervention to an absolute minimum.” One of the speakers at SHIFT 2025 was Rob Cross, co-managing director of UK commercial print business, Micropress Printers. At the event, Cross described how the company has accelerated its processes and alleviated the shortage of personnel thanks to automation, robotics, and AI. The Strategic Mailing Partnership (SMP) has revealed the winners of its 2025 Awards at a ceremony held at The Steel Yard in London on September 25th. More than 300 representatives from across the print and mailing supply chain gathered to celebrate innovations in the campaigns, people, and businesses across the mailing and multichannel marketing sectors. Awards were given in three distinct areas, namely the Mail Performance Award, the Sustainable Campaign Award, and the Bright Futures Award. Supported by headline sponsor Whistl, the Platinum Mail Performance Award was awarded to Webmart, working in partnership with Exodus Adventure Travels, for their Welcome Home Programmatic Mailing. Gold Awards were presented to five standout campaigns from Precision Proco, Formara, Join the Dots (Salocin Group), Nutshell Creative, and Whistl Doordrop Media. The Bright Futures Award, Gold, went to Hannah Murphy of PSE Agency, whose progression and leadership on datadriven direct mail campaigns were judged as having delivered significant results for clients. PRINTING United Expo sees “record-breaking” visitor numbers SMP Awards celebrates 2025 winners By Jonathan Pert By Jonathan Pert Labelexpo, now LOUPE, first launched in London in 1980 More than 200 international guests attended SHIFT 2025, with a 2026 event already announced The awards show for the mail and marketing sectors was hosted by comedian Hal Cruttenden By Jonathan Pert By Jonathan Pert
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