Couldn't make it to New Orleans for EskoWorld 2026? Here's a brief recap of the highlights!
The format
This year's format featured "tracks" of courses based on interest areas. Attendees could choose from:
- Design & Optimization
- Digital Color & Print
- Graphics Preparation & Print Readiness
- Packaging Intelligence: Boosting Productivity with AI
- Product Packaging & Lifecycle Management
This year also focused on more of an "infotainment" style opening and recap sessions. The goal was to focus on the productivity power of Agentic AI built into Esko's ecosystem. The hosts were tasked with producing a finished package from concept to converted package in 48 hours based on attendee input. From starting with a product name "Bayou Bites" and a goal "convert to appeal to the Gen Z market" attendees supplied prompts regarding color, graphics, cutout style, marketing, etc. to create this package. While this concept is impressive and we did receive a finished package at the end (we had to fill it with candy ourselves and there was NO CHOCOLATE! I was a bit disappointed because the original product sounded very tasty) I think AI still has a long way to go before replacing all of our jobs. If you look closely, there are a couple of things that needed adjustment that likely would not have made it "to the shelf" if humans were involved. Also, the packages we received were printed digitally, and while they did scale to print them flexo at an offsite location, I would have preferred to see a flexo package :). Regardless, it was an impressive project and I look forward to seeing what happens next year.
The Dot Awards
Esko unveiled The Dot Awards to encourage their customers to submit samples for evaluation by their Print Excellence team. One thing I heard was that several customers that attended were unaware of the competition and would have liked to submit samples. I vaguely remember an email about it, perhaps next year a reminder should go out to invite customers to submit samples?
The sessions
The biggest highlight is the development of Quartz screens for Thermal. The dot centric screens are designed to be universal (for solvent, water, and thermal plates) but EFXR 045 from DuPont is the first and only qualified plate at this time. 067 is on the horizon.
We also received more details about the XPS Spark, which utilizes LED exposure but still produces round top dots. There was a user testimonial as well as some in depth details about how it works, but we were asked not share anything specific. I recommend you reach out to Esko if you'd like to learn more! The biggest benefit is you will not need to preheat the bulbs before using and will still receive very consistent floors with LED exposure.
I generally enjoyed the sessions in the Digital Flexo Color & Print track, but similar to other years after a certain point they feel a bit repetitive. I would have liked to see an "advanced" course where attendees could get into deeper detail regarding the equipment and software rather than an overview multiple times.
The Group Outing
This year's group outing was at The Sazerac House, right across the street from the conference center/ hotel. We had to flash some beads to enter, which was a fun tie in to New Orleans. The Sazerac house was cool, it was 4 floors where you could explore the history of Sazerac, try some cocktails (in something of a "shot" type format, which was ironic because there were several instances of the food being referred to as a "shooter"- like a parfait shooter, etc.), eat some food, network with colleagues, and most exciting to me- get your fortune told and see some magic tricks. I unfortunately did not run into the magician, but I did get to sit with the Tarot Reader and enjoyed having my life evaluated via tarot cards. The line was very long, so it appeared to be a popular experience. It was fun but it was pretty crowded and it was not clear where different things were located (for example, full bars located on floors 2 and 4, tarot reader on 3, snacks on floor 3, etc.
Next Year's Location
Next Year's location is Louisville, KY! Dates have not been announced yet but keep your eyes peeled for future details.