PACK EXPO 2012, scheduled for Oct. 28-31 at McCormick Place in Chicago, will bring together more than 1,800 processing and packaging exhibitors with the 46,000-plus buyers to exchange ideas, solutions and education. Featuring more than 1.1 million square feet of exhibit space, the sold out show will be this year’s most comprehensive processing and packaging event in North America.

Like previous years, PACK EXPO 2012, produced by PMMI, Reston, Va., will feature a handful of pavilions, including The Brand Zone, which spotlights imaginative container technology and an array of advanced materials to set your brand apart; and The Processing Zone, an area dedicated to upstream systems that yield higher productivity, consistent quality and seamless production. The Reusable Packaging Pavilion, sponsored by the Reusable Packaging Association, Arlington, Va., will focus on sustainable, cost-effective assets, such as pallets, hand-held or bulk containers and other reusable packaging initiatives. Meanwhile, the Food Safety Summit Resource Center, sponsored by the Food Safety Summit, will offer presentations and one-on-one meetings with leading experts on the most pressing food safety issues.

Attendees will also have access to networking lounges on the show floor—the new Beverage Cooler lounge, the Candy Bar lounge and the Baking and Snack Break lounge. Each lounge will allow show goers to network with their peers and engage in further dialogue with suppliers. The lounges will also include an educational “Ask the Expert” feature, where attendees can seek advice from experts on industry-related challenges in packaging and processing.

The Lecture Series, slated for Oct. 28 at 5:15 p.m., presents former talk show host Dennis Miller and “The Rajin’ Cajun” James Carville, a political consultant and former adviser to President Bill Clinton. Both speakers will give their views of the upcoming 2012 elections.

Show goers can also experience PMMI Amazing Packaging Race, scheduled for Oct. 31. Exhibitors wishing to participate are asked to contribute $500 toward the Education & Training Foundation, which will help provide scholarships and other educational assistance to students at PMMI’s Partner Schools in the United States and Canada.

Conference tracks also include in-depth discussions on food safety/product security, sustainability/packaging materials, focus on the future (trends and innovations), beverages, manufacturing solutions, trace and track and transportation/logistics. Speakers include representatives from Bumble Bee Foods, ConAgra Foods, General Mills, Kraft Foods and Nestlé.

To register, go to www.packexpo.com.