LIVE from Pack Expo: Jerry McCarthy

Students and faculty from the College of Natural Resources and Environment
attended the four-day Pack Expo International trade show in Chicago, November 2024, with
the support of The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. The event featured innovative packaging solutions, seminars on sustainability, and opportunities to connect with industry professionals, providing valuable hands-on experiences.

Jerry McCarthy, a student in the College of Natural Resources and Environment, shared what each day of the expereince was like from his perspective:

Sunday, November 3:

Sunday was the first day of Pack Expo. On the first day at the convention, our group from Virginia Tech got registered and set up our student booths. Once we’re all set up, students are essentially free to roam the massive show until it’s their turn to hold a shift at the booth. People usually break off into small groups and go explore. The group of guys that I was with chose to complete a scavenger hunt that we found was going on at the show. There are all sorts of challenges and opportunities for free prizes throughout the show, and the one we chose to participate in had a prize of $1,000.

The scavenger hunt consisted of visiting all 5 of the show floors and finding numerical codes that were displayed at several booths throughout. For us, this was a good way to explore and familiarize ourselves with each of the show floors, while also getting the chance to win that prize. At the end of the day, we sat in on a presentation from the VP of research and development at the packaging company Amcor. Pack Expo is full of opportunities to learn from major industry representatives, network and promote our program at the student booth, and see all sorts of mesmerizing industrial equipment.

Monday, November 4:

Monday is typically the busiest day of Pack Expo, with most people at the convention since it’s the first weekday of the event. I spent most of the day floating around the hall where our booth was located and talking with the exhibitors that I found most interesting. There were lots of booths with all sorts of sustainable packaging products that were super interesting, and lots of booths with automation equipment that ran on artificial intelligence.

Talking with the exhibitors is great because you get to see how some of the things we learn in class are being used or improved upon in the industry. When I wasn’t wandering, I spent time at our student booth speaking with visiting alums, researchers, and industry representatives interested in hiring from our program. Pack Expo has become a great tool for the Virginia Tech Packaging Club in recruiting companies to attend our career fair and hire our students for co-ops and job opportunities. After the day at the expo, a bunch of us students went to the United Center to catch a Chicago Bulls game, which was super fun.

Tuesday, November 5:

On day three of Pack Expo, students got the opportunity to attend a meeting hosted jointly by the Institute for Packaging Professionals (IOPP), and Pepsi. The IOPP is a group of 1,000+ packaging professionals, who are hoping to connect with the packaging programs at major universities.

They invited students to listen in on what their organization offers, as well as listen to a higher up from Pepsi speak on sustainability and his experience. Meetings like this are part of what make Pack Expo such a valuable trip for students. The night ended at a nice restaurant in downtown Chicago, for an alumni dinner hosted by the CNRE. This was a sweet opportunity to network with alums and other industry professionals, in a more casual setting with great food.

Wednesday, November 6:

The expo ended with a massive scavenger hunt challenge called the Amazing Packaging Race, hosted by PMMI. This is a challenge that invites over one hundred students to team up and explore the convention center to complete tasks and answer trivia. The top three winning teams are awarded big cash prizes up to $1,000.

The Amazing Race is an opportunity for students to work with other program students and compete in a friendly competition. In my eyes, it’s a good send off for students, and a solid closer to the trip. After the race, the group took a trip up to Downer’s Grove where we got a tour at a Silgan Closures facility.

There, we got to look at several of their labs and learned about what their capabilities are and how they’re able to produce packaging products that people use every day. Once the tour finished, we said our thanks and headed back to downtown Chicago. Students got together and enjoyed one last night in the city, before heading out the following morning.