London Packaging Week 2026 drew 6,688 unique visitors to Excel London on 16-17 September, a 16% jump over 2025 and the largest attendance in the show's history, organizers said.

The two-day event hosted more than 230 exhibitors and 110 speakers, extending a growth run that has lifted attendance from just over 5,000 in 2024 to 5,752 in 2025 and now 6,688 in 2026.

That represents a roughly one-third increase across two editions and a clear signal that the packaging industry keeps investing in live, UK-based meeting formats.

What did the 2026 edition actually add?

Organizers describe the show as "the largest edition in the event's history" — a claim the 16% headcount jump supports. The rise hit a stable footprint at Excel London, so visitor density per square metre climbed sharply.

For cosmetics and personal care buyers, density matters: more exhibitor stands per aisle let visitors compare decoration finishes, substrate options, refill mechanics and dispensing formats within a single visit, and shortlist suppliers faster.

Who showed up, and what does it mean for packaging buyers?

The 230-plus exhibitor count spans the full packaging stack — primary containers, secondary cartons, labels, decorative finishing and production machinery. Beauty and personal care feature prominently among the verticals the show serves, alongside premium spirits, gourmet food and beauty-adjacent gifting categories.

A 16% attendance rise on a flat footprint suggests brands sent more delegates per visit in 2026, with packaging, sustainability and regulatory leads attending separately rather than sharing one pass.

Cosmetics and personal care sit among the verticals the show serves most actively, alongside premium spirits and gourmet. The 16% visitor rise reflects a brand side actively re-specifying decoration, refill formats and substrate choices at a faster clip than in earlier cycles.

For beauty packaging buyers, that means more options to evaluate per visit and more competitive pressure on incumbent suppliers as the supplier base widens.

What does the 110-speaker line-up signal?

Exhibitor growth tells a supplier-side story; speaker growth tells a content-side one. A 16% visitor rise paired with a heavier conference programme suggests buyers came looking for substance, not just sample collections.

The 110-speaker roster also points to organizers investing in agenda depth — a trend consistent with packaging buyers who now treat trade-show content as a regulatory and sustainability catch-up exercise.

How fast is the show actually growing?

The attendance curve has added roughly 850 visitors per year since 2024. At that pace, the 2027 edition would clear 7,500 without a venue change. Exhibitor expansion is harder to read without a year-on-year exhibitor figure, but the 230-plus count points to floor-space demand running ahead of current allocation — and to waitlists for 2027 likely already forming.

What should packaging buyers do next?

The 2026 show closed on 17 September. Exhibitor lists and presentation downloads typically drop within weeks, so procurement teams should pull the floor map and flag suppliers showing new lines. The new-format elements introduced for 2026 should also surface in the post-event recap, giving buyers a second pass at content missed on the floor.

The next data point to watch is the 2027 exhibitor target and any venue expansion announcement, which would indicate whether organizers expect the 16% growth pace to hold into a third consecutive year.