For over twenty years Poland has been one of the greatest markets for the packaging industry in Europe. Its dynamic development has been possible due to the openness to innovation visible in nearly all the sectors of the economy.

The tradition of organising the Poznań fair for the sector of manufacturers and suppliers of packaging technologies and solutions that enable companies to take up logistic challenges has almost forty years. Over all those years the fair has undergone changes which brought into the calendar of the Poznań trade fairs for the packaging industry two large events taking place interchangeably every two years: The TAROPAK International Trade Fair of Packaging Technology and Logistics and the PAKFOOD Food Industry Packaging Fair.

From the very beginning the fairs have been highly appreciated by both their participants and many institutions and trade organisations, including the Confederation of Organisers of Packaging Exhibitions (COPE) and the Polish Chamber of Packaging (PIO). The benefits from active participation in the events have been quickly noticed by both Polish and foreign exhibitors (the latter accounting for about 35 percent of the total number of exhibitors). Therefore, at present, every edition of TAROPAK and PAKFOOD attracts nearly 800 companies which together with the fair organisers make them ones of the most interesting exhibition events in Europe. Apart from ready products, the exhibitors showcase a wide range of machinery for the production of packaging and packaging equipment. The fairs mean also an interesting offer for the sector of logistics, i.e. the presentation of machinery and equipment for internal transport, stock management equipment and specialist equipment for the processing of logistic information. Poznań is also visited by companies offering various kinds of services, including printing and telecommunication services. The exhibitors come to the business capital of the Wielkopolska province from as many as nearly 40 countries in order to meet their present and potential clients 90,000 of whom turn out at every edition of both events. The trade fair is the must be place mostly for professionals aiming at developing their companies through active investing in novelties; these are companies from many sectors, including the food, chemical, printing, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, advertising and packaging industries. And TAROPAK and PAKFOOD are always full of market novelties. In the catalogue of events organised by the Poznań International Fair (MTP) the two trade fairs stand out with the greatest number of new products, many of which make in Poznań their market debuts.

Many emotions are always aroused by products awarded with the Gold Medal of the Poznań International Fair (MTP), especially that the results of this prestigious competition are known several weeks before the start of the fair. Thanks to this practice, the information about the awards is widely published in the media, including trade media. The trade fair visitors may also see the awarded products at the exhibition itself, at the exhibitors’ stands. Consumers can also vote for the best solution both during the fair event with the use of special terminals or on the following website www.zlotymedal.mtp.pl/en.

Coming to TAROPAK is not only an opportunity to familiarise yourself with the offer of several hundred leading producers and suppliers, but also a chance to take advantage of an interesting programme of events, including conferences, workshops, training courses and specialist shows. One of the most important events at TAROPAK 2012 is the first edition of the Packaging Industry Congress - an opportunity for the opinion leaders to meet and discuss the main challenges the industry will have to face in the upcoming years.

Along with TAROPAK and PAKFOOD, the POLAGRA-TECH International Trade Fair of Food Processing Technologies is usually held at the same time and place. Therefore, for many visitors, coming to Poznań at that time means several days of important meetings they would not be able to have in the whole year.