What FACHPACK is, in two lines
FACHPACK is the leading European trade fair dedicated to packaging, packaging technology and processes: the entire supply chain comes together in Nuremberg, from materials and containers to machinery, from labelling to automation and sustainable solutions. It runs yearly, with a break every three years — 2026 is skipped because it overlaps with interpack in Düsseldorf, so the next edition is the one on 21-23 September 2027. The 2025 edition featured 1.387 exhibitors spread across 11 halls, with an international share of 48% (over 40 countries) and a FACHPACK + POWTECH TECHNOPHARM duo that drew around 72,000 professional visitors.
The point many exhibitors underestimate: at FACHPACK almost no purchasing decision closes at the fair. A packaging buyer evaluating a new packaging line, a film supplier or a labelling system takes home quotes and samples, then decides over the following weeks together with production, quality and procurement. That is why the way you manage and follow up on leads matters as much as the number of business cards collected: the value of the fair is measured six weeks later, not on closing day.
What to show, where to show it
FACHPACK 2025 spread across 11 halls with a strongly themed layout. Knowing the map helps you position yourself where the right audience passes through:
- Hall 3 — Alternative Packaging Solutions with the SOLPACK 6.0 area and the Speakers’ Corner: the heart of alternative materials, sustainability and the circular economy.
- Hall 4 — Forum PACKBOX: a programme of conferences and content, ideal for catching visitors who are actively researching.
- Hall 7 — Labels & More, Converting meets Packaging and Forum INNOVATIONBOX: the hub for labelling, converting and printing, with the forum dedicated to product innovation.
- Young Innovators / Newcomers Pavilion: a space for startups and new exhibitors, with curious and qualified traffic.
The positioning logic: choose your hall based on who you really want to meet, not just on the price of the booth module. If you sell sustainable materials or recyclable mono-materials, Hall 3 places you next to the right themed forums; if your offering is labelling, printing or converting, Hall 7 concentrates your natural audience. Practical tip: position yourself near a forum or themed area (PACKBOX, INNOVATIONBOX, SOLPACK 6.0) — a visitor leaving a conference is already in evaluation mode and stops more willingly.
Visitor profile
The FACHPACK audience cuts across every sector that uses packaging, with a clear technical and purchasing bias. Translated into operational terms for your stand:
- Packaging, R&D and quality managers in food & beverage (~30-35%): the largest segment, evaluating materials, lines and sustainability for their own products.
- Buyers and engineers in pharmaceutical, cosmetics and chemicals (~15-20%): strict requirements on traceability, serialisation and compliance — here POWTECH TECHNOPHARM, when co-located, broadens the pool.
- Production/packaging engineers and managers (~20%): looking for machinery, automation and labelling, often with operational decision-making authority.
- Logistics and intralogistics operators (~10%): focused on transport packaging, palletising and end-of-line.
- Converting, printing companies and packaging manufacturers (~10-15%): here you are both supplier and customer at once, great for partnerships.
- Retail and consumer/industrial goods manufacturers (remaining share): evaluating packaging as a shelf and cost lever.
In terms of seniority, the German mix is favourable: many visitors arrive with a concrete project or a spec in hand, and a significant share has signing power or strong influence over the purchase. The practical consequence is that it is worth qualifying every contact on role and project stage right at the stand, because the gap between a curious passer-by and a ready buyer is high here.
How to prepare in the 4 weeks before the event
Week -4: message audit
Define a single sentence that explains what you solve and for whom, in German and English (at FACHPACK almost half of the exhibitors and a large share of visitors are international). Review graphics, totems and materials: a visitor walking past your stand must understand within three seconds whether you are relevant to their packaging problem. Prepare a version of the pitch for each main profile (food, pharma/cosmetics, converting, logistics): the same product is told differently to someone looking for sustainability versus someone looking for line speed.
Week -3: stand operations playbook
Decide who does what and when. Set up shifts, a person responsible for “hot” contacts and a clear rule: every useful conversation ends with a registered lead, not a card in a pocket. Define how you welcome, how you qualify and how you close each dialogue. Prepare a short demo (3-4 minutes maximum) and a second level of detail for those who show genuine interest. Agree in advance where you want to take the most qualified leads: a meeting room, a coffee, a dedicated slot at the stand.
Week -2: a 3-question qualification form
No long questionnaires. Three questions that everyone at the stand must be able to ask naturally:
- What is their role and for which company/sector are they evaluating? (food, pharma, converting, logistics)
- What stage is the project at? (just looking, has a budget, has a deadline)
- What is the concrete problem? (cost, sustainability, line speed, compliance)
These are the three data points that, after the fair, let you write a follow-up that reads like an answer and not a flyer.
Week -1: CRM integration
The weak spot of every fair is the return: piles of cards that nobody transcribes. Before you leave, set up the complete data path — every qualified contact at the stand must land directly in the CRM with the event tag (FACHPACK 2027), the answers to the 3 qualification questions and a voice note from whoever spoke with the contact. This is exactly the logic Linkly works on: capture, enrichment, qualification and follow-up handled by a sequence of 6 AI agents, so when you get back to the office the leads are already sorted and ready, not waiting to be deciphered. Here’s how Linkly works.
Is the official FACHPACK app worth it?
Yes, FACHPACK has an official app (the FACHPACK App from NürnbergMesse) and it is useful — for the visitor. It does its job well: free-text exhibitor search with watchlist, a dynamic floor plan of the halls and the grounds, a conference programme you can save with reminders and calendar sync, shared login with the FACHPACK website and even parking spot saving via GPS.
What it does not do, and this is what matters to you as an exhibitor: it does not export leads into your CRM, it does not enrich contacts with company data, it does not qualify who stopped by the stand, it does not manage follow-up and it does not hand you a tidy report for the sales team. It is designed to guide those who visit the fair, not to build your pipeline. And like every event app it changes with each edition: the data you collect there is not really yours and does not stay in your process.
That is why the official app and a capture system you own are not alternatives, but two different things. The app helps you move around the fair; your system lets you take home contacts ready to work on. Here’s how Linkly works: a single flow from badge scan to qualified lead inside the CRM.
What to do during the 3 days of the fair
Day 1 (Tuesday 21 September) — opening and calibration
The opening is for tuning the machine. The flow is often more technical and curious: use the first day to refine the pitch, understand which questions come up most often and adjust the demo. Register every contact right away with the chosen system, even if it seems “cold”: this is where the database is built. At the end of the day, do a quick team debrief: what is working, which profiles are coming in, where to shift the focus.
Day 2 (Wednesday 22 September) — peak and decisions
This is the day of highest traffic and the greatest concentration of buyers with real projects. Keep the stand fully staffed, reserve your best people for qualified conversations and protect the slots for hot contacts. Qualify with discipline: few questions, recorded answers, a voice note right after each important dialogue while the memory is fresh. This is the day when most of the pipeline is generated.
Day 3 (Thursday 23 September) — closing, lower traffic but high quality
On the last day the flow drops, but those who come on purpose tend to be very targeted: often they are decision-makers who free up their agenda at the end. Take advantage of it for long conversations, to set up the next call and to close contacts left open from the previous days. Before you dismantle, check that every lead is in the CRM with tag and qualification: the post-fair work begins while you are still in Nuremberg.
What to do in the 7 days after the fair
There is only one rule: whoever replies first wins. At FACHPACK buyers have spoken with dozens of suppliers; whoever reaches out first, with a relevant message, starts ahead.
- Within 24 hours: send a personalised follow-up to hot contacts, citing the specific problem that came up at the stand. If the leads are already in the CRM with qualification answers and a voice note, here you gain a whole day on competitors.
- Within 7 days: send the materials you promised (quotes, samples, datasheets) and propose a call or a visit. This is the window where the memory of the fair is still alive.
- Within 14 days: re-contact lukewarm leads with valuable content — a use case from their sector, not a generic reminder.
- Within 30 days: review the whole list with the sales team, qualify the real opportunities and archive the rest. This is the moment when you truly understand how much the fair paid off.
The common thread: capture at the stand, automatic enrichment of company data, structured qualification and fast follow-up. When these four steps are a single flow — the logic of Linkly’s 6 AI agents — the post-fair stops being a race against time and becomes an orderly sequence.
Practical FAQs
How much does it cost to exhibit at FACHPACK?
The cost depends on the hall, the floor area and the booth build. As an order of magnitude for fairs at Messe Nürnberg, the bare space fee starts at roughly 150-200 €/m², on top of which come the build, services, registration fee and consumption-based items. For a small fitted stand it is realistic to budget a few tens of thousands of euros all-in; the exact figures and official price lists should be requested from NürnbergMesse, because they vary by edition and product category.
Which is the best day to close important contacts?
The second day (Wednesday) concentrates the peak in traffic and the buyers with concrete projects. The third day has lower attendance but often higher quality, with decision-makers looking for in-depth conversations. Use the first day to calibrate the pitch and gather the base. In short: Wednesday for volume, Thursday for depth.
Do visitors register in advance or on site?
Most of the professional audience registers online beforehand, often with a ticket linked to the badge, and a share arrives and registers on site. The moment they register matters little to you: what matters is that you are ready to register them at the stand. Don’t rely on the fair’s visitor list — you won’t get it with the data you need.
Is there an alternative to collecting paper cards?
Yes, and it is the real leap. Collecting on paper or photographing the badge means hours of transcription on return, incomplete data and leads that go cold. A digital capture system like Linkly registers the contact, enriches it with company data, saves the qualification answers and a voice note, and sends it to the CRM with the FACHPACK 2027 tag while you are still at the stand. Here’s how it works.
Is it worth investing in the forums and themed areas?
Positioning yourself next to PACKBOX, INNOVATIONBOX or SOLPACK 6.0 catches visitors leaving a conference already in evaluation mode. If you have the chance to speak as a presenter or to showcase an innovation in the dedicated areas, it is a multiplier of credibility and qualified leads. It is not mandatory, but for the same budget it pays off more than extra floor space alone.
Page updated ahead of the 2027 edition. For official information on dates, opening hours and participation details, always refer to the official website fachpack.de.
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