Deepening "Using Competitions to Drive Production" and Jointly Building a New Packaging Ecosystem — Post-Event Exchange for the 4th Printing Technology & Creativity Awards and Guangzhou Restaurant Brand Culture Experience Day Event

On April 21,2026, the "the 4th Printing Technology & Creativity Awards Post-Event Exchange and Guangzhou Restaurant Brand Culture Deep Experience Day" event, hosted by the Hong Kong Printing Industry Investment Association, co-organized by the Printing Technology Research Center (APTEC), Guangdong Packaging Technology Association Innovation Center (INNOPACKING), and the Dongguan Publishing and Printing Industry Association, and jointly hosted by the China Time-Honored Brand Guangzhou Restaurant Group, concluded successfully. The event aimed to deepen the achievements of the 4th Printing Technology & Creativity Awards and establish a full-chain industrial closed loop encompassing "exhibition—event—matching—collaboration—follow-up visits." Leveraging the top-tier industry platform of the South China International Printing Exhibition/China International Label Exhibition, the event brought together senior executives from leading printing and packaging enterprises and brands in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as packaging innovation, regulatory compliance, supply-demand matching, and the promotion of CTV standards, thereby driving the industry's transition from "price competition" to "value co-creation."

Core value of the exhibition platform:

Backed by top-tier industry traffic: Leveraging the Yashi Group's international platform for the South China International Printing Exhibition/Label Exhibition, the competition's award ceremony was presented publicly to over 130,000 professional attendees, significantly enhancing the event's authority and the visibility of participating enterprises.

Authoritative Endorsement and Industry Focus: Leveraging professional trade exhibitions, the competition has become a benchmark for printing and packaging technology in the Greater Bay Area, attracting high-quality enterprises, leading brands, and technical institutions to engage deeply.

• 3. Efficient conversion through exhibition–competition integration: Implement an efficient model of "awards during the exhibition, follow-up matchmaking after the event, and concrete cooperation upon implementation," thereby converting exhibition traffic into genuine industrial partnerships and significantly enhancing the event's value and implementation efficiency.
• As a core co-organizer of this competition, the Guangdong Packaging Technology Association Innovation Center (INNOPACKING) has fully leveraged its professional expertise in digital asset services and standardization for packaging and printing. It has actively participated in competition preparation, resource matching, and the commercialization of results, making every effort to translate the concept of "promoting industrial production through competition" from theory into practice.

Specialized discussion session and on-site visit: exploring packaging innovation and regulatory coordination

The event commenced in the morning at the Panyu plant of Guangzhou Restaurant Group Likoufu Food Co., Ltd. The meeting was chaired by Hu Tao, Secretary-General of the Hong Kong Printing Industry Investment Association.

I. Speech by Hu Luosong, Deputy General Manager: From Processing Supplier to Strategic Partner

In his address, Hu Luosong, member of the Party Committee and deputy general manager of Guangzhou Restaurant Group Likoufu Food Company, explicitly stated that, with the full implementation of the Food Packaging Safety Law and the continued and deepening of efforts to address "overpackaging," the green, minimalist, lightweight, and recyclable nature of food packaging has become an inevitable trend in the industry. Against this backdrop, there is no longer a need for mere processing suppliers; instead, there is a need for strategic partners who can align with brands, address pain points, and create value. He called on printing and packaging enterprises to engage in deep collaboration with them across three key areas:

• 1. Compliance First: Jointly implement food packaging safety regulations and green packaging requirements;
• 2. Balancing cost and safety: Optimize packaging structures to improve logistics efficiency and reduce losses;
• 3. Experience and value enhancement: Transform packaging from a "product container" into a "brand vehicle."

II. Address by Chairman Xu Qingnai: Technology Must Stay Close to the Market; Standards Will Lead the Future

Xu Qingnai, President of the Hong Kong Printing Industry Investment Association, emphasized that the core objective of this competition is to ensure that printing technology innovations are more precisely aligned with market needs, brand requirements, and consumer preferences. Through the "brand-based challenges and technology-based solutions" competition format, as well as the in-depth face-to-face exchanges taking place today, abstract creative designs can be closely integrated with the genuine pain points of brands and industry trends; this represents a key pathway for the high-quality transformation of the printing industry in the Greater Bay Area. The Association will continue to leverage the "exhibition + competition + industry matchmaking" model to lead the high-quality development of the printing and packaging industry in the Greater Bay Area.

III. Thematic Discussions and Exchange with Enterprises

The symposium was chaired by Li Weiqiang, Executive Vice President of the Hong Kong Printing Industry Investment Association. He concluded that the event represented an efficient implementation of the "using competitions to stimulate production" approach: on the one hand, it leveraged the exhibition platform to screen high-quality packaging material suppliers for Guangzhou Restaurant; on the other hand, it helped printing enterprises gain deep insights into the genuine needs of leading brands, guiding them to move beyond price-based competition and instead leverage innovative processes and solutions to enhance brand value, thereby driving a comprehensive upgrade in the dimensions of industry competition. The Association will plan next year's event in advance, introduce more brand partners and university resources to participate, continuously expand the influence and reach of the printing industry in the Greater Bay Area, and build a more open and integrated industrial innovation ecosystem.

1. Feng Wenqing, President of the Hong Kong Printing Chamber of Commerce, provided a clear positioning and long-term vision for the CTV Color Management Bay Area Standard on-site: The CTV Standard leverages the industrial synergy advantages of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, combining technological advancement, practicality, and universality. In the future, it should not only be fully adopted across the Greater Bay Area to become a unified regional quality benchmark, but also extend from the Bay Area to the entire country and the international market, establishing a universal printing and packaging standard with China's independent intellectual property rights and compatibility with global supply chains, thereby enhancing the influence and competitiveness of China's printing and packaging industry in the international market.

2. Peng Anqi, Director of the Printing Technology Research Center, delivered a presentation on CTV color management technology on site. She provided a detailed explanation of precise color reproduction, data-driven quality control, and a full-lifecycle validation system, offering professional technical support for the high-quality implementation of printing and packaging solutions and contributing to the standardized and regulated development of the industry.

3. Fang Jun, President of the Baiyun District Printing and Packaging Association and General Manager of Guangzhou Baisheng Printing, stated: "Taking this event as an opportunity, we will actively promote the implementation and application of industry standards; lead the Association and its member enterprises in deepening technological innovation, enhancing quality, and fostering brand synergy; provide full support and active participation in the next Printing Technology and Creative Awards Competition; and jointly contribute to the high-quality development of the printing and packaging industry in the Greater Bay Area."

Subsequently, representatives from companies including Zhonghua Business, Heshan Yatu Shi, Jiangmen Xingyi Digital Printing, Yongxiang Printing, Asia One Printing, Anliang Color Printing, and Guangdong Gaowei Printing delivered speeches in turn. Focusing on themes such as high-end packaging printing, intelligent manufacturing, green packaging, food compliance, and supply-chain assurance, they shared their respective corporate strengths and expressed a strong commitment to deep cooperation with Guangzhou Restaurant and to jointly promoting industrial upgrading.

IV. Summary Remarks by Secretary Wu Kaili

In her concluding remarks, Wu Kaili, Director and Party Committee Secretary of Guangzhou Restaurant Group Food Marketing Management Co., Ltd., expressed strong approval of the "promoting production through competitions" model; however, she also pointed out a common challenge facing the industry today: how can a sound idea be perfectly implemented in the form of high-quality packaging? From the design draft to the finished product, from color reproduction to structural compatibility, and from safety and compliance to user experience, every stage tests the supply chain's collaborative capabilities. In the future, she will lead her team in proactively visiting outstanding competing printing enterprises for follow-up visits and exchanges, thereby making the closed loop of "competition → matchmaking → cooperation → implementation" more robust.

This is precisely the philosophy that the Guangdong Packaging Technology Association Innovation Center (INNOPACKING) has consistently been committed to promoting: enabling both supply and demand sides to move from short-term transactions toward value co-creation.

Appreciating Cultural Roots: The Evolution from "Product Container" to "Brand Vehicle"

In the afternoon, all guests proceeded to the Guangzhou Restaurant Wenchang flagship store to attend a networking luncheon and visit the Cantonese Cuisine Culture Museum. Through a deeper exploration of the origins and artisanal heritage of Cantonese cuisine, they gained a profound understanding that food packaging is not merely a functional container, but also a vital vehicle for brand narratives, cultural values, and the consumer experience. Only by understanding a brand's cultural foundations can one create packaging that truly resonates with people.

Looking Ahead: Continuous Empowerment, Jointly Opening a New Chapter for the Industry

As this event came to a successful close, registration for the 5th Printing Technology and Creativity Awards Competition has officially opened. The next edition will bring in more brand partners and university resources, further expanding the influence of the printing industry in the Bay Area.

As the core co-organizer, INNOPACKING will play a deep role in event preparation, standards development, and supply-demand matching, while continuing to leverage its three core strengths:

• 1. Resource integration capability: Coordinate resources among printing and packaging enterprises, design institutions, and universities in the Greater Bay Area to establish an open and integrated innovation ecosystem;
• 2. Technological leadership: Through digital asset services and the promotion of the CTV standard, continuously drive the ongoing improvement of industry technical thresholds and quality standards;
• 3. Industrial collaboration experience: Deepen the end-to-end "exhibition–event–matching–collaboration–follow-up" model to help enterprises make the transition from order-based production to value co-creation.
• We cordially invite printing and packaging enterprises, design firms, and industry leaders in the Greater Bay Area to participate actively: empower brands through technological innovation and create value through creative design.

※Registration inquiries:

Contact: Hu Tao, Secretary-General

Phone: 13078425145 (same number for WeChat)

※ Hosts / Co-hosts / Co-organizers:

Organizer: Hong Kong Printing Industry Investment Association

Co-organizers: Printing Technology Research Center (APTEC), Guangdong Packaging Technology Association Innovation Center (INNOPACKING), and Dongguan Publishing and Printing Industry Association

Co-hosted by: Guangzhou Restaurant Group