Thirty years ago, PMMI was a respected packaging trade group with around 400 member companies, and PACK EXPO Las Vegas was a brand new regional show called PACK EXPO West. Fast forward to 2025, and PMMI and PACK EXPO Las Vegas have become cornerstones of the expanded packaging and processing industry, shaping how packaging and processing connect, innovate, and grow.
As PMMI celebrates 92 years of industry leadership, the past three decades have been transformational, but few would have predicted the scales we would reach. PACK EXPO Las Vegas has surpassed its regional status, expanding beyond 1,000,000 net square feet for the first time. Its size as a North American packaging and processing trade show is now only exceeded by our flagship PACK EXPO International.
In addition to size, our trade show portfolio has also expanded in number, growing from two and a half in 1995 to six with this year’s launch of PACK EXPO Southeast. (30 years ago, PMMI owned half of EXPO PACK Mexico, and today we own 100% and run the entire operation.)
Beyond the show floor, PMMI itself has grown exponentially. From 400 members in 1995, the association now boasts over 1,100 member companies, reflecting a broader North American footprint that now includes Canada and Mexico. The association’s staff has grown from 18 to nearly 150 full-time employees, ensuring expanded services and support for our diverse membership. These expanded services include larger and additional member meetings, with both the Fall Meeting, now known as the Annual Meeting, and the Spring Meeting, now referred to as the Executive Leadership Conference, experiencing more than double the annual attendance. We didn’t have Joint Committee Meetings, our Vision series, which is now at Vision 2030, nor the Top-to-Top Summit.
PMMI has also doubled the number of standing committees from five to ten, focusing on areas such as Emerging Leaders, Workforce Development, and Program Planning. In 2017, we established the Packaging & Processing Women's Leadership Network (PPWLN), a dedicated initiative to support the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in the packaging and processing industries. Together, these initiatives ensure members have access to relevant programming, industry insights, and opportunities for collaboration.
We expanded into association services, providing association management services to outside associations involved in our industry and industry workgroups, such as the OpX Leadership Network and MaX Workgroups, further underlining our commitment to comprehensive industry leadership.
Financial investments in the industry’s future have been significant via the PMMI Foundation, with millions of dollars awarded in scholarships and skills development funds over the last 30 years—efforts aimed squarely at building a workforce equipped for an ever-evolving market.
Now that I think of it, this very magazine didn’t exist 30 years ago. We hadn’t yet purchased what is now PMMI Media Group. I could go on and on, but I think the point has been made that as we mark the 30th year of PACK EXPO Las Vegas, PMMI’s impact is undeniable—not just in trade show square footage or membership numbers, but in the way we’ve fostered innovation, collaboration, and growth.
I’m excited and hope you are, too, to see where PMMI will be when we celebrate the 30th year of PACK EXPO Southeast.
