IGAS Tokyo: A Biennial Trend Barometer Where Flexible Packaging Technology Takes the Floor

The Japan Tokyo Printing Technology and Solutions Exhibition (IGAS) takes place at the Tokyo Ariake International Exhibition Center, opening daily from 09:00 to 18:00. Organized by the Japan Printing Machinery Association and the Digital Printing Equipment Association, the biennial event is an international professional printing equipment show whose exhibits and services span printing, paper converting, digital imaging and digital communications.

At IGAS, exhibitors can put their most advanced equipment and newest technologies on display, present solutions and recommendations for a wide range of technical challenges, and set out their outlook for the future of print. That is why the show has become a widely recognized barometer of industry trends. It also works to advance international exchange of talent and to contribute to the vitality and prosperity of the printing sector and its related industries, giving exhibitors a solid platform for communication.

One important point: IGAS is a professional trade show, open to industry insiders only. Visitors from outside the trade, along with anyone below the stipulated minimum age, are not admitted, and no retail activity takes place on site.

On the exhibit floor, printing and plate-making equipment covers offset presses, plate-making machines, die-cutting machines, plate exposure units and label printing presses, alongside desktop production systems, advertising creative production systems, software and scanners.

Print finishing and specialty printing span paper cutters, binding machines, laminating machines, folding machines, mounting machines, creasing machines and hot stamping machines, as well as letterpress, gravure, screen and business card presses. Supporting consumables include printing and lamination rubber rollers, inks, plates and photosensitive films.

For corrugated carton and paper product processing, the show features corrugated and honeycomb board equipment, carton machinery, paper boxes, paper tape and pulp.

Closest to the flexible packaging world is the packaging machinery and accessories zone: vacuum packaging machines, folder gluers, bag-making machines, dosing, filling, sealing, carton sealing and labeling machinery, packaging machinery, daily chemical product packaging machinery, plastic flexible packaging equipment, pharmaceutical packaging machinery, plastic machinery and a full range of die-cutting tool accessories.

On materials and converting, IGAS covers co-extrusion lamination, stretch blown film, foamed sheet, paperboard and paper cores, aluminum foil and aluminum materials, adhesive tape and hot melt adhesive processing machinery, together with plastic packaging materials, metal packaging materials, laser packaging materials, pharmaceutical packaging materials and green, environmentally friendly packaging materials.

To exhibit, a company must be formally registered with the industry and commerce authorities. Its business license must match the exhibiting company and remain within its validity period, its exhibits must be related to the theme of the show, and any other conditions required by laws and regulations must be met.

The application path runs step by step: submit the exhibition registration form setting out your exhibiting and visiting intentions, either downloaded or requested from the staff; once the materials meet the show's requirements the application is accepted and processed within the stated number of working days; choose a reserved booth from the available booth map; sign the contract at the stated booth price, with the rights and obligations of both parties clearly defined and the document sealed by both sides; pay according to the booth booking agreement once the booth is confirmed; and provide a copy of the business license.

Group travel normally departs from Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong or Guangzhou: delegates gather at the airport at the designated time and place, check in their luggage and take an international flight to Tokyo. After airport pickup a group meal is arranged, followed by hotel check-in at a local four-star property. The next morning is given to city sightseeing, with Tokyo Tower, Odaiba and Ueno Park among the stops; lunch is a group meal, and the afternoon is reserved for booth setup.

During show days, a hotel buffet breakfast is followed by a transfer to the exhibition hall for a full day of exhibiting, with private car transfers throughout and group meals for lunch and dinner. A separate full sightseeing day takes in the Imperial Palace, Ginza, Kamakurakoko-mae Station, Senso-ji and Meiji Shrine, after which delegates board an international flight home and the trip comes to a pleasant close.

Pre-show preparation covers booking and paying for the booth, preparing the samples to be displayed, arranging exhibit logistics, which is mostly sea freight and typically closes about one month before the show, applying for visas no later than one month ahead in line with each country's issuance times, and booking flights, hotels and other business services, or a full-package overseas service. Exhibiting companies that meet the statutory conditions also hold the right to know how the exhibition process works, the right to ask the implementing authority to explain and interpret published information, the right to consultation, progress inquiries and complaints during processing, and the right to apply for administrative litigation if they disagree with the handling result.