A Conversation About Change, Continuity and a Passion for Flexpack
The latest edition of Flexpack News gets personal: Julian Thielen talks with Karsten Schröder not only about current developments in the flexible packaging industry, but also about their joint work at Innoform, new event formats, digital communication channels and the long-term development of the company.
The focus is less on a single piece of industry news and more on one question: How does professional knowledge exchange need to change in order to stay relevant in the years ahead?
Because the flexpack industry is changing noticeably. Regulatory requirements such as the PPWR, debates about paper, plastics, recyclability, barrier properties and the circular economy are meeting new communication habits. Knowledge is expected to be quickly available, technically sound and, at the same time, easy to understand. It is precisely at this interface that Innoform is positioning itself ever more broadly.
“We don’t want to talk about the industry – we want to let the industry talk.”
This sentence sums up a central idea of the conversation: Innoform sees itself not just as a provider of seminars, conferences and technical information, but as a platform for exchange, context and shared learning.
New Names, Clearer Structure: Conferences Become Inno Formats
An important step in this development is the harmonisation of event names. Formerly rather technical, descriptive titles are turning into formats such as Inno-Pouch, Inno-Fiber, Inno-Print-Pack, Inno-Barrier and the long-established Inno-Meeting.
The idea behind this is not just marketing. The new names are meant to make the Innoform brand core more clearly visible while providing orientation. Anyone working with stand-up pouches will feel at home at Inno-Pouch. Anyone who wants to understand paper, fibre-based materials and coated paper packaging is in the right place at Inno-Fiber. Anyone who wants to discuss package printing, printing processes, 7C printing or digital printing strategies will find the right setting at Inno-Print-Pack.
One thing remains important: the new structure must not dilute the technical depth. Especially with technical topics such as barrier properties, EVOH grades, bonding agents, coatings or migration-related questions, clear content profiles are essential.
The goal is a balance: a unified appearance, but clear technical differentiation.
Inno-Pouch: Stand-Up Pouches as a Future Topic Across the Value Chain
A prime example of the new format logic is Inno-Pouch. The former European stand-up pouch conference not only gets a more modern name, but also a stronger embedding in the entire flexpack value chain.
Stand-up pouches have long been more than just a packaging format. They combine material development, printing, lamination, barrier, sealing technology, pouch making, recyclability and consumer convenience. That makes them ideal for making technical developments in the flexpack sector tangible.
The upcoming Inno-Pouch will take place at HP in Barcelona. The host connection is a deliberate choice: technical events should not only take place in hotels, but where technology becomes concretely visible. When participants can experience a digital pouch factory, theory turns into immediate practice.
It is exactly this practical focus that runs through many of the new Innoform formats: participants should not just listen to presentations, but experience machinery, processes, materials and people.
Host Formats: Closer to Industrial Reality
A recurring theme in the conversation is the idea of linking technical events more closely with host companies. Examples such as Inno-Print-Pack at Vollmann or Inno-Fiber at Felix Schoeller show how productive such formats can be.
Hosts gain opportunities to share insights into technologies, strategies or new developments. Participants gain a different kind of access to practice: plant tours, real production environments and direct conversations create a different quality of exchange than classic conference rooms.
The point is not to turn events into advertising platforms for individual companies. What matters is that the host brings a technically relevant topic: a new technology, a strategic realignment, a special application or a current industry issue.
The result is a format that combines practical relevance, technical depth and networking quality.
Inno-Fiber: Paper, Fibre-Based Materials and the Reality Behind “Paperization”
Another focus of the conversation is Inno-Fiber. The format is dedicated to flexible packaging made from fibre-based materials, especially paper-based solutions. Karsten Schröder describes how he was initially sceptical about whether the topic would resonate. The event, however, showed clearly: the industry has a strong need for well-founded assessment.
Paper packaging is often presented as a simple alternative to plastics, but the technical reality is considerably more complex. Coatings, barrier properties, sealability, recyclability, cost and machinability are demanding topics.
Many companies that have worked with films, PP, PE, PA or laminates for decades now have to process paper-based materials on existing machinery. At the same time, it is often not transparent which coatings are used, how many layers are present, whether PFAS play a role or which functional limits exist.
This is exactly where Inno-Fiber wants to start: not ideologically, but technically. Paper and plastics should not be played off against each other. Rather, the aim is to critically examine applications, realistically assess potential and discuss material combinations in a solution-oriented way.
Technical Depth Instead of Superficial Industry Talk
A common thread in the conversation is the distinction from superficial event formats. Karsten Schröder recalls the origins of the Inno-Meeting and the idea of looking at technical developments from a higher altitude without losing technical substance.
The Inno-Meeting was and is a meeting point for strategic and technical developments in the flexpack industry. It was complemented by specialised formats such as the barrier film conference, printing conferences and today’s formats like Inno-Barrier and Inno-Print-Pack.
It always comes back to the same question: How do you bring technical depth into a form that people enjoy taking in?
The answer apparently lies in a mixture of expertise, clarity and atmosphere. Innoform events are meant to take technical topics seriously without making them unnecessarily heavy. Conversations, discussions, practical examples and a personal setting are explicitly part of the concept.
Flexpack News, Newsletters and New Digital Technical Communication
Alongside events, digital formats are playing an increasingly important role. The conversation covers Flexpack News, newsletters, podcasts, audio features and AI-supported content in detail.
The advantage of digital technical communication is obvious: topics can be picked up faster. While traditional trade media are bound to production cycles, print deadlines and fixed page counts, newsletters and online articles can react to current developments at short notice.
Especially with topics such as paper versus plastics, the PPWR, the circular economy or new technical solutions, this speed is decisive. The industry needs not only retrospective reporting, but fast, technically contextualised status updates.
Innoform has developed its own newsletter system that takes interest profiles into account more strongly. The aim is not to overload readers with general information, but to deliver more relevant content: suitable seminars, suitable technical articles, suitable test service information or suitable event announcements.
The newsletter thus becomes more than a distribution channel – it becomes part of a more personalised knowledge infrastructure.
AI as a Tool – but Not a Substitute for Experience
A particularly interesting part of the conversation concerns the use of AI. Karsten Schröder describes how AI systems such as NotebookLM can be used to evaluate controlled sources, summarise scientific studies or even create audio formats from them.
The emphasis on controlled sources is important here. AI is not supposed to speculate freely, but to structure, condense and clarify existing expert knowledge. Especially with complex technical or scientific topics, this can help make content more accessible.
At the same time, one thing remains clear: AI does not replace professional review, experience and human judgement. Content must be checked, corrected and editorially assessed. Human expertise still decides what is technically sound and what is not.
This attitude probably reflects a realistic approach to AI: it is neither overrated nor rejected. It is a tool that can make knowledge more accessible – if used with competence and responsibility.
Audio Features: Making Expert Knowledge Audible
In addition to classic podcasts and AI-generated formats, Innoform is also producing audio features. These formats combine short soundbites, impressions from events and technical context. They are meant to take listeners along to events in their minds – on the way to work, in the car or in between.
This is more than just an additional channel. Audio can create closeness, make voices from the industry audible and keep debates alive. One example from the conversation is the discussion around 7C printing. An event gave rise to a podcast, which prompted feedback from the industry, followed by further conversations and perspectives.
In this way, topics are not treated as one-off news items but followed up over time. Different assessments get room to breathe. That is exactly how technical progress can emerge.
The Ice Cream Campaign: A Likeable Way into Serious Topics
The Innoform ice cream campaign also comes up in the conversation. At first glance it looks playful: ice lollies in individually printed stand-up pouches. But there is more behind it.
The stand-up pouch becomes a tangible example of flexpack technology. Printing, material, converting, application and communication come together in a single product. At the same time, the campaign links a serious industry topic with a simple image: with the PPWR, recycling, material questions and technical details, things can heat up quickly – a cool head helps.
The campaign shows that technical communication does not always have to be dry. It can be surprising, approachable and human, as long as it remains technically sound.
Succession as a Joint Development Process
A personal focus of the conversation is the collaboration between Karsten Schröder and Julian Thielen. Both talk openly about trust, gut feeling and the idea of developing Innoform Coaching for the long term.
Karsten Schröder makes clear that he does not simply want to stop. Rather, it is about a gradual shift of roles in which experience and new impulses come together. Julian Thielen contributes new ideas, communication formats and energy, while Karsten Schröder continues to bring experience, network and technical depth.
This form of succession does not feel like a hard cut, but like a transition. And that can be decisive for a technically driven brand like Innoform. Trust, continuity and renewal have to fit together.
Outlook: In-Person Events, Web Seminars and In-House Training
Towards the end of the conversation, the focus turns to upcoming formats: Inno-Pouch at HP in Barcelona, the Inno-Meeting in February, another Inno-Fiber, Inno-Print-Pack and further seminar and event formats.
Interestingly, in-person events are in higher demand again. Web seminars remain relevant, above all as recordings that can be accessed exactly when knowledge is concretely needed. At the same time, the desire for personal encounters, exchange and joint in-depth work is clearly growing again.
In-house training is also moving back into focus. Topics such as flexpack fundamentals, the circular economy and sustainability can be taught directly within companies. Innoform is thus broadening access to expert knowledge: public, digital, recorded, on site or directly in-house.
Conclusion: The Industry Needs Places for Real Technical and Personal Exchange
The conversation between Julian Thielen and Karsten Schröder shows that Innoform is in an exciting phase. The brand is being sharpened, formats are being reorganised, digital channels are being expanded and succession is being actively shaped.
At the same time, the core remains: technical depth, industry understanding, personal encounters and the ambition to make complex issues understandable.
For the flexpack industry, this is more important than ever. Many current questions cannot be answered with buzzwords. Paper or plastic? Recycling or product protection? AI or human expertise? In person or digital? The answer is often: it depends on the application, the context and the technical assessment.
That is exactly why the industry needs formats that do not oversimplify, but clarify. That do not lecture, but enable exchange. That do not just talk about the industry, but give it a voice.
And perhaps that is the real message of this conversation: flexpack knowledge lives through people who are willing to share their experience – openly, critically and with genuine enjoyment.
Frequently Asked Questions About This Episode
What are Innoform’s new Inno formats?
Innoform is harmonising its event names: the previous conferences are becoming formats such as Inno-Pouch (stand-up pouches), Inno-Fiber (paper- and fibre-based packaging), Inno-Print-Pack (package printing), Inno-Barrier (barrier films) and the long-established Inno-Meeting. The goal is a unified appearance with clear technical differentiation between the topics.
Where will the next Inno-Pouch take place?
The upcoming Inno-Pouch will take place at HP in Barcelona. The host connection is a deliberate choice: participants can experience a digital pouch factory there – technology in practice rather than just in a conference room.
What is Inno-Fiber about?
Inno-Fiber is dedicated to flexible packaging made from fibre-based materials, especially paper-based solutions. The format provides technical context on topics such as coatings, barrier properties, sealability, recyclability and machinability – without playing paper and plastics off against each other.
How does Innoform use artificial intelligence?
AI systems such as NotebookLM are used to evaluate controlled sources, summarise studies and even create audio formats from them. The principle: AI structures and condenses existing expert knowledge, but does not replace professional review and human judgement.
How is the succession at Innoform Coaching being handled?
Karsten Schröder and Julian Thielen are shaping the succession as a gradual shift of roles: Julian Thielen contributes new ideas, communication formats and energy, while Karsten Schröder continues to bring experience, network and technical depth – a transition rather than a hard cut.
Which learning formats does Innoform offer besides in-person events?
In addition to on-site conferences and seminars, there are web seminars (also available as recordings), in-house training directly at companies, and digital formats such as the personalised newsletter, podcasts and audio features.
Further Reading
Events & Inno Formats
Inno-Meeting, Inno-Pouch, Inno-Fiber, Inno-Print-Pack: all current dates and formats at a glance.
Discover events →Individual Training
From web seminar to modular in-house training – how flexpack knowledge gets into your company.
Read article →Food Contact Law in Flexpack Practice
Regulatory requirements, responsibilities and current developments in food contact compliance.
Read article →Transcript (automatically generated, in German)