Pack Expo International, Oct. 28-31, at Chicago’s McCormick Place, sponsored by the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers’ Institute (PMMI), will feature The Brand Zone, an area dedicated to the latest material and container innovations. Located in the Lower North Hall, The Brand Zone will house several new packaging advancements as well as The Showcase of Packaging Innovations, sponsored by The Dow Chemical Co. The exhibit offers attendees a look at award-winning packages from around the world.

The Brand Zone will also include some new features to help brand managers, marketers and package designers innovate:

Material ConneXion will showcase a sampling of the more than 6,500 advanced and sustainable materials from global materials libraries. Experts will be on hand to educate attendees about the properties of the different materials, many of which will come from outside the packaging space, and their cross-over potential. Each day, Material ConneXion will also present a series of live demonstrations in its booth, which will be located inside The Showcase of Packaging Innovations;

Mintel will also offer on-floor education at the show. The global research consultancy will present compelling consumer and category insights from some of its most recent research studies in a special theater inside its Booth (N-6214). Visitors to the booth can access recent reports addressing trends across different markets as well as browse and interact with an inspiring gallery of package designs from around the world, sourced from Mintel’s Global New Product Database.

Presentation topics and schedules for both Material ConneXion and Mintel’s on-floor sessions will be announced shortly. For more information or to register for Pack Expo International 2012, visit www.packexpo.com.