packaging digest&rsquos 2015 global food & beverage packaging summit tackles today&rsquos hot topics for food and beverage packaging engineers and executives.from grocery ecommerce and production platform shifts to size trends and consumer preferences, packaging digest&rsquos 2015 global food & beverage packaging summit tackles today&rsquos hot topics, as well as provides astute direction for the future for packaging engineers and executives.did you know&hellippepsico doesn&rsquot want &ldquomonster machines&rdquo for its packaging lines.ecommerce economics are transforming the food and beverage markets. for example, directtoconsumer sales let wine makers keep the entire margin instead of having to share it with distributors.elderly consumers find water bottles and cereal boxes among the most frustrating to open.smaller packs that are easy to carry and store are key to unlocking sales in megacities.these were just some of the many insights revealed at the 2014 global food & beverage packaging summit. which is why i&rsquom excited to share details about the lineup for this year&rsquos event.we put months of research into the program for the 2015 global food & beverage packaging summit july 78 chicago to make sure we tackle today&rsquos hot topics, as well as provide astute direction for the future. attendees&mdashan exclusive group of packaging executives and engineers&mdashwill hear from their peers and industry thought leaders, such as kraft foods, millercoors and mondelez intl., on innovation, sustainability, economics and more. the program starts with keynote and plenary presentations then splits into two tracks with sessions for marketing & branding strategies and technical intelligence for manufacturing production & engineering.among the topics on the agenda aresmart technologies, intelligent labels & sensor development tools to help when the &ldquobest by&rdquo date may not be enoughweighing the impact of the growing directtoconsumer delivery movementsingle serving portion packaging to satisfy the onthego consumer, smaller families and impulse buyershow to stay in the game with a rigid to flexible conversionclean label design in response to the demand for healthy & honest productslightweighting without sacrificing shelf life & product performancenew this year is an exhibitor showcase where attendees can meet with leading and entrepreneurial packaging suppliers that have unique solutions for the food and beverage markets. also, a new mobile app for various electronic devices puts a convenient event calendar, a realtime community activity feed and more at your fingertips. participants can see who else is attending and create a personalized schedule of conference sessions and meetings in advance the app goes live about four weeks before the event, as well as on the spot.another plus the summit is ideally located in downtown chicago, my hometown and a vibrant city that offers much in the way of entertainment, good food and friendly people.registration is now openi hope to see you at the global food & beverage packaging summit in chicago, july 78, at the intercontinental chicago magnificent mile. 
