Paris Packaging Week / Josh Brooks / Easyfairs

https://www.parispackagingweek.com/en/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooksjosh/

Are you Ready for Paris Packaging Week? 
Want to see the latest innovations in luxury packaging? 
Want to meet me in Paris? January 25 and 26 2023 

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This podcast is an independent production and the podcast production is an original work of the author. All rights of ownership and reproduction are retained—copyright 2022.

Transcript

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Josh Brooks: 0:00

Welcome to Sustainable

Cory Connors: 0:01

Packaging with Cory Connors. Today's guest is my friend, Mr. Josh Brooks, who's the marketing and communications director at Easy Fairs. Josh Brooks: Hey, Josh. How are. Yeah. Good. Thanks Corey. Thanks for taking the time. Nice to see you. It's an honor to interview you. I'm a big fan of what you do and your, your company does, but let's talk about Paris Packaging Week, which is which is what you'll be putting on here. And, and tell us a little bit about yourself. Tell us about your background., how did you

Josh Brooks: 0:27

get into this yeah, cool. Okay, so, My background, actually, I started off professionally as a journalist. I lived in France for a couple of years, straight outta the university. I came back to England cuz I'm, I'm British. I went back to London and had a, career for a few years as a journalist in the in the business to business press. As it happened particularly, Writing about the, the printing industry and then later on the packaging industry. And I had some shorter periods writing about the electronics industry and the construction industry and the property industry. So various, various areas that, that I covered. And I ended up as publisher of, of a magazine called Packaging News, which which is in the uk and many of your listeners, I'm sure Will, Will, will know. And from there I joined Easy Fairs . I had a long standing relationship with, with Easy Fairs , the, the event organizer because we were their media partner. And in 2018, so nearly five years ago now, I joined Easy Fairs. I've never looked back. I, I started off working as business development director for their packaging portfolio, and then three years ago now moved to Paris and started working , on the shows that we run in, in Paris. So it's been, you know, it's, it's been a, a fun adventure. Lots of, lots of time in packaging, lots of time in printing, but it's all, it's all good. It's all.

Cory Connors: 1:42

It sounds like it's a perfect fit for the industry and for you, that that's pretty cool when that kind of stuff happens. But I'm excited as somebody who's going to Paris Packaging Week. I'm excited to learn more about it. And can you tell us about the event and what, what to expect?

Josh Brooks: 1:59

Yeah, of course. So. Essentially it's, it's actually four events that, that we consider to be separate events, but co-located but, but together, I'll, I'll tell you about those in just a second. But together, these four events make up what, what we are calling Paris Packaging Week. And. We're pitching it , as the, the greatest festival of packaging innovation in the world. Yeah. That's a big claim. We hope that we can live up to it. But so, so what are the four events? There, there are four events that are each focused on a particular industry. They're the, the most the longest established is called PC D, which is an extremely well established event for the beauty packaging industry. So personal care perfume and cosmetic makeup. Then there's adf, which is the only annual event for the aerosol industry in the world. So it's all about innovations , in aerosols and dispensing. Then the third one or in no particular order, but the third one that launched was pld, which was packaging of premium and luxury drinks. Now we just call it pld. And so that's essentially for the wine and spirits . Industry. But it brings in other premium drinks in mineral waters or in in spirits , or soft drink mixers, things like that. And then the new addition , to the Paris family is Packaging Premier, which is the new launch for the 2023 edition in January, which covers. The other 25% or so of the luxury packaging market. This isn't covered by the beauty and drinks sectors. So, so packaging Premier will cover areas like confectionary, like fine food like jewelry and watches and all of those other bits of. Fancy and luxury and premium packaging that you would find in, in a luxury retail environment or in a fashion retail environment.

Cory Connors: 3:58

It's exciting and it's coming up soon here, January 25th and 26th in Paris France. And you've just opened the awards section of the event so people can apply to win an award at your show.

Josh Brooks: 4:13

Is that. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So we have run well, we've run three awards programs that are linked to PC D. AD and P ld. So, so the beauty part, the aerosols show, and then the drinks show. We haven't yet launched one for packaging Premier, and we may do in the future, but that's to be decided. And yeah, , the entries are open with. We're very, very proud of the of the judging panels that we put together. So, so we will have very top packaging innovation directors and design directors from many of the, of the world leading brands in, in these sectors. So we have very senior people from Chanel or from Lal or cot on the beauty side. Mm-hmm. and many others. Lvmh Of course. And then on the drink side, we'll have very senior people from the likes of per Ricard or Rennie, Quantro these sorts of companies. And then, and then Unilever, Byor, p and g and so on, on the on, on the aerosol side. And really what we are looking for is is to highlight and to celebrate the greatest technical and technical innovations and. Production excellence in, in the market. So, so we're really looking for, for what's new in terms of interesting material usage. Obviously sustainability comes into it massively in every project. There's, there's a sustainability element but it's also user experience of the, of the packs. It can be very technic. Issues around how the pumps and valves work, the, these sorts of things. And then there is also, of course an element of creativity, of design and so on, but it's not, it's not a graphic design or branding contest. It's right. It's a competition that really. Rewards technical innovation. So, so there's lots of information about this on, on the website@parispackagingweek.com under the awards tab. The, the deadline for entries is in mid-November, I think is the 14th of November. So I'd encourage everybody to go and to go and have a look and, and get involved. But it's really, it's, it's a very prestigious set of awards. We, we hand them out at the show Oh, cool. Paris Packaging. We, we, we run ceremonies there. And yeah, it's, it's a very cool thing to be, to be part of. And I think, you know, for, for me, we really. We really want to position the events that we run as, as driving innovation and celebrating innovation really, you know, bringing, bringing the achievements of, of our community to the fore. So, so it's really, it's really exciting for, for us and it's, and it's sort of meaningful and important for, for me personally, to be involved in, in this., we have some really cool examples of very small brands who have, Yeah, who have entered. Who've done something that, that the big brand owners would never think of. And who have won. And, and you know, you have, and you have people from, you know, people who, who are the biggest influences in the world, almost in, in their, in their markets, sitting around a table looking at something that somebody in, that a small startup has, has thought of and come up with. And. It, and, and it's a, it's a very you know, in our, in our world, professionally, it's a very special, special experience. So, so yeah, it's a very cool thing to be part. I've always thought

Cory Connors: 7:36

that awards level the playing field a little bit. And I think that what you're doing is an amazing opportunity for all brands, but especially small brands to say, Hey, we can do this too. We can be sustainable, we can be innovative. And that's so kudos to you for, for

Josh Brooks: 7:54

stepping up that way. Thank you a hundred percent. And I think, you know, the exciting thing is, is that the small brands, you know, especially , if it's a brand that is being launched by one person who knows nothing about packaging, that has a very particular a very particular view of, you know, I want my, I'm thinking of one particular example, which is a brand called Juni Cosmetics. Where with that was set up. A lady who, who had a really, a real sort of purity of vision that she wanted her, her lipstick pack to be purely one purely one material, absolutely mono material. And it's, and it's very difficult to achieve. But she worked with somebody and came up with a hundred percent aluminium lipstick pack and. The, the bigger brands would not look at things in that way because they have other, you know, they have experience and yeah, they have a different, you know, they have a different way of looking at it. And so yeah, I think, I think it's really, it's really exciting to be able to bring to the four, the startups, the beauty brands, the craft brewers and the craft distillers and so on, who have, who have that that fresh, a fresh way of looking. Well said.

Cory Connors: 9:02

Very true. Who should go to this kind of a show?, should all types of people in the industry go? Or is there specific, you know, is it for designers? Is it, Yeah, I mean,

Josh Brooks: 9:12

We try to make the, the show relevant to anybody who. Involved in packaging decisions in the markets that we are covering. So So when we think about the, the profiles or the job titles of people who we're trying to attract to, to the show, there will be people in marketing and brand management. There will be people in design and in design agencies. There will be many, many, many packaging technologists and packaging engineers working at brands. And there will be many people in. In procurement and purchasing type roles. Yeah. And, and what we try to do at the event is , we try to create environments that are relevant to all of those people. So, so we, we team up, for instance with with our friends that the Penta awards, which is, which is a big global design competition. It's, it's run by colleagues of our. Within Easy Fairs . And they push on a gallery of a selection of, of winners of their competition,, which celebrates the world's very best graphic design and branding. Primarily in, in terms of facting. So, so we have something that's very definitely for the, for the marketing and branding community. We have. And then we have our, and then we have talks that, that cover branding, marketing, design, lots of sort of bigger issues around. I dunno, The metaverse and packaging or the inflation crisis and the cost of living challenges. Yeah. And packaging or I dunno, remote validation of production runs for people involved in packaging and, you know, in, in the world of, in the world of Covid and how we work remotely these days. And so, so we try to, we try to sort of bring in all of these different Aspects to, to make sure that we are giving a vision of the future of, you know, where can I go with my next project and how do I solve my problems if I'm the packaging designer or buyer or the marketing person, you know, what are the options to me? And, and of course I can't talk about all of that without talking about our exhibitors and we have, we. Around 600 exhibitors at the show. So it's a big event in that sense. You know, it's a lot of, it's a lot of exhibitors. It's impossible to see everybody, of course, but, but it means that within these markets that we are, that we are covering in the, in the aerosol markets, and then in the sort of broader premium and luxury products market across beauty, drinks, and the other luxury sectors. We, we are trying to, we are trying to create an environment where people can come and not only be inspired, but actually solve their problems, find new solutions to find new technical solutions or new materials and, and so on, and really, really sort of drive their own innovation products. And I should say as well, before I forget, Corey So, so in terms of, just, in terms of the, looking forward to to, to our 2020. Event, we have the big news about the, the launch of packaging Premier, which is, which is a big new sector for us. And then circling back to adf, which is the aerosols and dispensing part of the show., I really want to, I, I want to make sure that, that your listeners know about a new partnership that, that we have struck with the with the fda, which is the European Aerosols Federation. It's the biggest aerosol federation certainly in Europe, possibly in the world. It brings together 28 different national associations, and they're working with us as partners on. Adf, they, they previously, an event of their own, which was called the Global Aerosol Events which ran every two years, and that will now be integrated into ADF from from this year. So, so it really, you know, I, I think obviously, you know, we are very happy that it strengthens ADF as an event, and I think , it will. Create a better experience and help us bring more people, both to our exhibitors and, and more exhibitors for our visitors. But I think it also underlines you know, we, we work very hard as an organization to create partnerships with the influential people. And, you know, I include you in that. Thank you. But also, you know, the, the important, the important media, the important associations. We work very hard at being. Being friends and with those, with, with these people and, and including them to create this community around the event. So yeah, it's, it's very cool. You know, I'd like to thank for what it's worth for people, you know, that the team at faa, cuz we are really, we're really proud to be working with them. But, but on a broader, on a broader note, I think. You know, , it's testament to, not to me, but to my team who, who are, who are really great at building that family around the events that we're running.

Cory Connors: 14:04

It does sound like a family. It sounds like a real community that you've built. And I've enjoying this sense of just. Networking and, and working together to make packaging better, make it more sustainable, make it more efficient. All of these things are, are, it just seems like this, this group of people that are collaborating together to improve the world of packaging. Is that the

Josh Brooks: 14:30

feeling you get? Yeah, absolutely. And it's, and it's really what we're, you know, it's, it's the sort of higher purpose of what we are trying to do. You know, we, we're a commercial organization, you know, we make our money by, by selling stands and shows and by bringing businesses , to see them. But, but no, I mean , the mission and the purpose is to, is to give this sense of, you know, what does the future look like for., for any individual visitor or exhibitor who's participating. You know, what does the future look like for me? But more broadly, what does the future look like for this industry that we are part of? And yeah, I mean, and another cool thing that, that my colleagues organizers is we put together. On that note, thinking about the, the future of people in the industry., we collaborate with with two packaging schools and, and sort of perfume industry management school in Paris. Wow. And we have big brands like Este Lord or Edo or Huda Beauty, who, who will set briefs for teams of students to, to come up. To come up with new solutions , to problems that, that they're facing. And sometimes it's, for instance, last year we worked on, on a kind of age old. Conflict or challenge between, you know, how do you, how do you create a luxury experience that is also going in the right direction in terms of sustainability? And, you know, that's a very big question for, for our, for our work. Very hard. Yeah. But bringing in, again, you know, thinking about like fresh ideas and who are the, who's going to be making the decisions in the future and influencing the future, It's really cool to bring. Students into, into this question and to highlight their work at the show and to put them on stage and give a vision of, you know, how do, how does Gen Z see the future and what do they expect? And, you know, , what developments do they want to create? In this world when they become the professionals who are, who are running the place . And it's, it's important. It's very, it's very cool. So to bring these people together Yeah. Yeah. That's so

Cory Connors: 16:31

important. I couldn't agree with you more. That they are the future of, of our world, of packaging. And they're gonna take the, the re here sooner than we realize. I wanted to ask As someone who's going to Paris for the first time, any pro tips for a first time visitor? Anything I should make sure to see or make sure to avoid

Josh Brooks: 16:49

Wow, that's a big question. Yeah, this is the hardest question of the interview so far. Yeah. I mean, Paris, Paris is. You know, for me it's my, it's my dream. This, I'm so lucky to, to live here. And what I love doing is just walking. Yeah. So, you know, I, I tend to avoid, you know, you can see the site, you can see the, the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe , and. Notre Dame and whatever, but what, But what you need to do is on a Sunday morning, just go and walk and you will find markets and you'll find cafes, and you'll find beautiful architecture and you'll find weird and wonderful and fascinating people and weird and wonderful things happening. And in particular, so, I've just thought of this. My favorite thing is actually to, to go along the river. Paris , has. A few years ago, it closed the roads that, that go along the river banks and they're now areas where there now spaces where, where people, where there are bars and restaurants and, but people go and do like skateboarding or there'll be an area where people are dancing and then there'll be somewhere else where people are doing fitness and then somewhere else where somebody's, I dunno, where there's lots of street art or. Also, or, or children's playground or music playing. And , there's, , it's the center of a big city, but you get these little. Little tribes, I suppose, you know, little, little groups of people doing interesting things and sort of creating, creating interesting little communities that you don't necessarily expect to, to find. And I think, you know, amongst all, you know, Paris is famous . For being beautiful and you know, the capital of luxury and the capital of beauty. And of course, that's why we run our event here. From a, from a commercial perspective, it's the right place to be. We're yeah. In the heart of the community. Mm-hmm.. But the Paris is also, that's what people don't know about it, is that it's a very, very livable. It's very dense, but it's very livable and, and there are really cool things happening almost at every turn. So, Wow. I can't wait. Just, just go, go and walk. You'll see, you'll see the big sites, but you'll see the little, the little slices of life that are, that are really, you know, charming and heartwarming and, and beautiful to see. It sounds

Cory Connors: 19:11

like an amazing place to be and a perfect place for Paris Packaging Week and just an incredible event like this. So I can't wait to go and can't wait to see all of

Josh Brooks: 19:22

this in person. Yeah. Well, I'll, I'll show you round. I'm looking forward to it.

Cory Connors: 19:25

Thank you, sir. How do people get in touch with you and, and easy Paris, if they wanna

Josh Brooks: 19:30

join? Yeah, sure. So All of, all of my contact details and contact details of of my team are, are on all on the website. So the place to look is paris packaging week.com., people can register to attend the event from there as well. It's a, it's a pretty quick sort of three, four minute registration process. So we obviously, we asked some questions about. Who our visitors are. We like to know what it is that they're looking for, because that helps us create a better event for the future. But no, we are, we're. Registration is open already. But yeah, paris packaging week.com is the place to, is the place to come. And I was thinking about you earlier, because I was, I was thinking about the, the, the west coast of the states because. We've had a couple of registrations from Apple which I've heard of that, which I was not expecting.. Yeah. Yeah. You've heard of them. We all have. And you know, it's, it's, it's cool to think that, you know, alongside, alongside the, the big , the big beauty brands and the big drinks brands and, and so on, who we and, and the big consumer goods brands. Right. It's, it's exciting to think that. The what we are doing means something to the, the wider, you know, to the wider world of people who are looking to do innovative stuff. Yes. And so yeah, it was, it was nice. It was nice to see those registrations coming.

Cory Connors: 20:52

It's gonna be an amazing time for all people, but I think if you're looking for inspiration in packaging, what a great place to go. Even if these aren't your specific niches Apple would be a perfect fit for this. So that makes a

Josh Brooks: 21:06

lot of sense. Yeah. Yeah, Exactly. And there's, there's a lot of, you know, they, they're creating, they and others are creating. Effectively luxury products in, in beautiful, luxurious packaging. And you know, it's all about consumer experience. You know, we have car companies coming, we have obviously lots of fashion companies coming and they're all, you know, alongside the, the, the nuts and bolts if you like, of, , which bottle do I want or which capital valve. It's also what's the consumer experience. In this wider world and, and it's yeah, , so, you know, it's, it's, it's very gratifying of course, for us. But I think, it's great to get that diversity of, of sort of interest and, and so on coming to, coming to the show and of course, a very international flavor. So yeah, we're looking forward to it. It's very exciting.

Cory Connors: 21:53

Very good. Looking forward to seeing you and seeing all of you listening at Paris Packaging Week in January 25th and 26th. We'll see you there. Thank

Josh Brooks: 22:03

you. Yeah. Cool. See you there. Thank you so much, Cory . Take care. Speak soon.