Premiere at FACHPACK 2024: the largest and most important European trade fair for the packaging industry and its customers is organizing the new "Women4Packaging" event for female exhibitors and visitors on the first day of the trade fair, 24 September, from 12:00 to 14:00. Whether they are a student, entrepreneur, scientist, designer, buyer or engineer: any woman from the packaging industry can take part, all they have to do is register in advance.
“Women have long since arrived in the packaging industry. With the series ‘Women in the Packaging Industry’ FACHPACK360° has already given numerous women from the packaging world a voice, presented their biographies and reported on their work. Now, for the first time, the many female professionals in the industry will have the opportunity to network - not virtually, but live and on site at FACHPACK,” says Heike Slotta, Executive Director Exhibitions at NuernbergMesse GmbH, where she is responsible for FACHPACK.
New Impulses at FACHPACK
The panel will begin with keynote speakers, followed by discussion rounds with the experts. However, the focus will be on subsequent networking and bringing the various participants together. “Women have the opportunity to make new contacts in an informal atmosphere, learn from each other, benefit from each other and discover new ideas to apply in their own field of work. Women4Packaging can also be a place to find creative impulses, inspiration and motivation for new career steps or new developments,” says Phuong Anh Do, Manager FACHPACK, outlining the main aims of the event.
Expert to Host New Format
The panel discussion will be moderated by Sonja Bähr, Packaging Analyst. “I have noticed that women have a different way of communicating with each other. They take the interpersonal exchange into account and, at the same time, often get to the point more effectively. They are also much more committed to each other when it comes to specific activities. The Women4Packaging format provides a supportive framework for this. I'm really looking forward to being part of the kick-off,” says the expert. She took over the position of Director Business Development at the brand and packaging design agency B+P Creality GmbH in July.
When asked whether the packaging industry is still male-dominated, Bähr replies: “Just as male as other technical industries, not so much in the masses, but still in management positions.” But she is also observing changes: There are now more women than men taking up studies in packaging technology and completing them, with much better grades. “I believe that in another five to ten years, we will see that the measures taken today to improve the balance between career and family will lead to many more women reaching management positions.”
Exciting Keynote Speaker
One organization that helps women get there is the Female Leadership Academy founded by Vera Strauch. Since 2018, she has been supporting women in management positions and on their way there. "Women are still too often confronted with challenges in the world of work that prevent them from reaching their full potential. We connect them and accompany them on their way to becoming authentic leaders", says Strauch, summing up her strategy. In her keynote speech at FACHPACK 2024, she wants to show how the power of these networks can be combined with modern leadership in order to achieve sustainable change.
She also sees advantages for companies. "For them, there is a lot of potential in being open to change and breaking new ground." According to Strauch, existing structures and prejudices are still holding many women back. Her plea is therefore: "Let's face the challenges of the professional world with courage and determination. We have scope that we can use individually and in our networks to change the (working) world for the better in the long term."
