PLMAs Amsterdam edition is the largest private-label-only trade show in the world, held annually at the RAI. Strict B2B-only access: every visitor is a retailer, sourcing manager, or private-label-related supplier. Floors are organized by product category, with tea-side suppliers concentrated in the food beverages section.
PLMA is the most concentrated week of buyer meetings any European tea co-packer can attend. Every visitor in the room is sourcing private-label product. Retail-chain delegations from Aldi, Lidl, Carrefour, Tesco, Albert Heijn, Edeka, and Coop walk the floor. The 2026 edition runs this week.
15,000+
Visitors
2,700+
Exhibitors
70
Countries
May 25-26, 2027
RAI Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Past editions
May 19-20, 2026
RAI Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
40 years of editions, reshaped by changing buyer behaviour and category growth.
1979
PLMA founded in the United States as a non-profit trade association to promote private label manufacturing.
1980
First PLMA trade show held in the United States.
1986
First European edition launched at RAI Amsterdam, establishing the annual Amsterdam show.
1994
First Asian trade show added, completing PLMAs three-continent format.
2000
Exhibitor count surpasses 2,000 companies; show cements itself as the private-label buyer event in Europe.
2026
39th edition: 3,200+ exhibitors from 75+ countries; new national pavilions from Brazil, Egypt, Poland, South Korea, and Vietnam; Idea Supermarket rebranded as World of Ideas and relocated to RAI Auditorium.
Where tea, private label, and beverage buyers concentrate on the show floor.
All food categories including dry grocery, beverages, fresh, frozen, and ambient products
Why it mattersBeverages, including tea and herbal infusions, are housed in the food section marked with blue aisle carpet. Tea-side suppliers from Spain, Poland, Sri Lanka, and Eastern Europe cluster here. This is the section to walk for buyer meetings.
Innovation hub showcasing curated private-label product concepts from around the world
Why it mattersRelocated and rebranded for 2026, this is the highest-footfall area. Buyers stop here first to survey emerging product formats. A strong display here feeds informal conversations at your stand later.
Health and beauty, household and kitchen, DIY, personal and leisure products
Why it mattersLess directly relevant for tea co-packers, but packaging suppliers and sustainability innovators often exhibit here - useful for sourcing scouting.
Country-organised groupings across food and non-food halls from 70+ nations
Why it mattersMost EU tea-producing countries (Poland, Germany, Netherlands, Spain) operate pavilions. Buyers walk pavilions methodically. Securing a stand within a relevant national pavilion increases discoverability for sourcing teams who work country by country.
Relocated to the RAI Auditorium Lounge for 2026 with improved layout and multiple access points. This curated innovation zone shows buyers 300+ new private-label product concepts and is the highest-traffic area on the floor.
Nearly 600 products from 67 retailers across 27 countries judged on concept, taste, aroma, packaging, and value. Winners announced during the pre-show seminar on 18 May at 14:00. A tea product (Albertsons O Organics Apple Caramel Crumble Tea) took a "Bold Beverages" category award in 2026, signalling strong retailer interest in flavoured tea private label.
Full-day conference in the 400-seat RAI Forum room, free for all registered attendees. Sessions cover private label market research, retailer strategy, and buyer-supplier relationship building. The 2026 headline theme: "From Price to Relevance - The Next Step in Private Label Growth."
Biennial blind-tasting competition judged by Masters of Wine and sommeliers. Held concurrently with the show week, it brings additional retail wine buyers onto the floor - useful for suppliers who also handle wine-adjacent gift packaging.
Country pavilions from over 70 nations organised by geographic origin. New 2026 pavilions include Brazil, Egypt, Poland, South Korea, and Vietnam. Poland is the most relevant new addition for tea - it is among Europes largest private-label herbal and fruit tea producers.
Brands typically exhibiting in the tea, private-label, or adjacent halls.
Retail chains, hospitality groups, and importers known to send delegations.
Strictly B2B-only. Retail and wholesale employees enter free. All other professionals pay tiered fees: EUR 200 early-bird (before 10 May), EUR 240 standard (11-17 May), EUR 280 late (18-20 May), all including 21% VAT. Online pre-registration is mandatory - no on-site registration. A business card is required at badge collection. Children under 16 are not permitted on the floor.
Tuesday 19 May: 09:00-18:30 (badge pick-up from 08:00; rush-hour 08:00-10:00). Wednesday 20 May: 09:00-16:30 (badge pick-up until 15:30). Pre-show seminar: Monday 18 May, 13:00-16:00 (free for all registered attendees).
Book early - show week in May is peak season for Amsterdam hotels. PLMA partners with RAI Hotel Services to offer discounted rates across 70+ hotels. Budget options are typically 30-40 minutes by metro; walking-distance hotels (Nhow Amsterdam RAI, Crowne Plaza Amsterdam South) sell out months ahead. Book via the link in your registration confirmation.
Space fees are not publicly listed. Stand-building service providers indicate typical all-in costs of EUR 400-700 per sqm for a shell-scheme stand including floor-space fee, fitting, and logistics. PLMA members receive preferential application rights. Build-up begins Saturday 16 May from 08:00; breakdown starts Wednesday 20 May from 17:30.
PLMA Amsterdam is not a general food show. Every person on the floor is either selling private-label capacity or buying it. That focus makes it unique in the European trade-show calendar. For a tea co-packer, a two-day booth here delivers more qualified buyer conversations than three days at a general food show with ten times the footfall. The 2026 edition runs this week (19-20 May) with a record 3,200+ exhibitors and 75+ countries represented, making it the most competitive floor in the show's history. That means booth location and pre-show meeting scheduling matter more than ever. Request meetings via the Show Navigator tool 30 days before the show opens. The Poland national pavilion is new in 2026 - Eastern European private-label tea capacity is now visible in a dedicated bloc, which is both a competitive signal and a validation that Balkan-region suppliers are taken seriously by the show's organisers.
Quick answers buyers ask before committing the travel budget.
Yes. PLMA is open to manufacturers and contract producers supplying private-label products. A tea co-packer offering to produce under a retailer's own brand fits the exhibitor profile directly. Apply via plmainternational.com well in advance - popular hall sections fill early.
Every visitor either works in retail or wholesale or pays a registration fee to attend. Retail and wholesale employees enter free, which concentrates buying-side attendance. Over 1,200 retail companies attend annually, including category managers and store-brand sourcing leads from Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Albert Heijn, and Carrefour.
PLMA does not publish a minimum stand size publicly. In practice, most first-time exhibitors take 9-12 sqm shell-scheme stands. Contact PLMA exhibitor services (info@plma.nl) to confirm current minimums and availability in the beverages section of the food halls.
Yes. Private-label buyers at PLMA evaluate supplier reliability, capacity, and lead times as much as format range. A single well-documented format with clear MOQ, lead time, and certification data is competitive. Bring printed spec sheets and samples in branded retailer-facing packaging.
The 2027 edition is scheduled for 25-26 May 2027 at RAI Amsterdam. PLMA holds its Amsterdam show annually, always in May. Application for booth space for 2027 typically opens in autumn 2026.
Yes - admission is free for all registered badge holders. The seminar includes the Salute to Excellence award reveal, market-share data from NielsenIQ, and retailer strategy presentations. It is the best single hour to benchmark where private-label buyers are shifting budget before walking the floor.
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