Page 56 - FINAT Yearbook 2011

the history of labelexpo
Celebrating 20 years of finat-labelexpo partnership
From 28 September – 1 October 2011, Labelexpo Global Series is opening its doors to the 14th edition of Labelexpo Europe at the Parc des Expositions in Brussels. It will be the first edition under the new partnership agreement between Tarsus Labels Group and FINAT signed last year on the occasion of the FINAT Congress in Valencia, an edition that will also celebrate the 20th anniversary of the partnership.
Prior to the 1970s the label industry was largely a collection of label companies serving a local or national region. Few were pan-European and the word globalization was not even in the label industry vocabulary. However the label industry was growing and expending at a rapid pace and label converters who wanted to find out about new equipment, products or applications could only read the packaging or printing trade press in the hope of finding some label news or a possible relevant article. There were at that time no dedicated trade shows. The label printer went to DRUPA or IPEX to see new materials and products.
FINAT/Tarsus contract signing ceremonies in 1991, 2004, 2010
the initial uk fairs
In 1978, Mike Fairley and Ron Spring launched Labels & Labeling International. Two years later, the magazine sponsored ‘Labelex’, the first dedicated labels trade exhibition. The show was organised in collaboration with exhibition organiser Clive Smith. At this first show in London there were 50 exhibitors, but is was a successful event and was to be the basis for the global event that it has become today. Labelex continued as an annual label show until 1984 in the UK.
moving to brussels
In 1985 it was decided to move the exhibition to a central European country. Hence, Labelexpo Europe was born in Brussels. This first European show occupied just 2,600 square meters and had around 80 exhibitors. In 1989 Labelexpo Europe moved to its present home at the Parc des Expositions. In that year also the first Labelexpo Americas was launched. As this created a challenge for the major press exhibitors in building presses for two shows in the same year, it was decided to stage the European and American shows in alternate years.
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