Two associations representing the packaging industry and equipment manufacturers wrapped up large in-person trade shows this week, successfully pulling off some of the biggest association events since the COVID-19 pandemic brought most of the live events industry to a halt last year.

PMMI—The Association for Packaging and Processing announced Thursday it had successfully concluded what it said was the largest in-person trade show of the year so far, with more than 23,000 people traveling to Las Vegas to attend the event.

At the same time, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers wrapped up a large, mostly outdoor trade show in Louisville, Ky. The event brought in more than 16,500 attendees. The same event attracted around 19,000 attendees in 2019.

PMMI's PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO was held from Sept. 27-29 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. More than 1,500 exhibitors were spread across more than 740,000 square feet of exhibit space, PMMI said in a statement.

The 2019 show brought a record 31,000 people. The 2020 show was canceled because of the pandemic, and the association looked to this year's event to begin a comeback.

"In a word, PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO was a success," PMMI CEO Jim Pittas said in a statement. "Exhibitors and attendees alike were energized by the number of people who attended and more importantly the business conducted from the moment we opened the doors on Monday."

AEM's show—The Utility Expo—was held Sept. 28-30 at the Kentucky Exhibition Center and featured more than 900 exhibitors spread over 32 acres. Most exhibits were outdoors because of the large equipment featured.

"Given the extraordinary circumstances around in-person events, we were excited to be able to produce The Utility Expo and bring a diverse lineup of thousands of products to over 16,500 attendees," said John Rozum, show director for The Utility Expo.

The PMMI and AEM shows proceeded even as some associations have canceled events in the latter half of 2021 because of a surge of new COVID-19 cases and, more recently, the lingering impact of Hurricane Ida on New Orleans, which is a popular destination for events.

Still, many other events have moved forward. The National Mining Association wrapped up the three-day MinEXPO on Sept. 15. The event drew more than 21,000 attendees, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. The event is held every four years but was pushed back a year because of the pandemic; the 2016 event attracted 40,000 attendees.

PMMI did not require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for admission. Attendees were required to wear facemasks at all times while indoors, as mandated by the state of Nevada. The association said it took measures to mitigate the spread of the virus, including increased cleaning at all stations, making hand sanitizer available throughout the exhibit halls and mailing badges in advance for contact-free registration.

AEM also did not require proof of vaccination and allowed participants to go without masks while outdoors; Kentucky required masks indoors. The association provided free COVID-19 rapid PCR testing to any attendee or exhibitor who wanted to be tested before traveling home.

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