Gala Ceremony FAQs

This year’s Gala is being held at De Kromhouthal in Amsterdam - Evenementen Aan De Overkant B.V., Gedempt Hamerkanaal 231, 1021 KP Amsterdam on Saturday 4 October.

The doors open at 17:00 CEST and runs till 1.00am.

For the first time since 2018, the Gala Ceremony is heading beyond London to the heart of Amsterdam. In a city dedicated to creativity and innovation, it’s the perfect backdrop for a night dedicated to the best of the best in packaging design, a night you'll want to be part of. 

Here's just a few reasons why you should attend:

Your moment in the spotlight: It’s a chance to celebrate your team and impress your clients. All winners collect their trophy on stage – so global design eyes will be on you.

Join a global community of top talent: Rub shoulders with over 500 leading creatives, designers, and brand decision-makers from all over the world.

Celebrate the best in packaging design: Be there to honour this year’s most groundbreaking, innovative, and beautifully crafted packaging designs - including yours.

An unforgettable experience in Amsterdam: With the city celebrating its 750th anniversary, there’s never been a better time to visit!

Need a bit more help in convincing your boss to get a table, here's how.

& don't just take our word for it:

“‘I can honestly say I had the best time of my life! I met some truly amazing people and made connections that I hope will last a lifetime." General Mills

"Such a wonderful show! High range people services music and food, we are going to work hard to come back!" Alliance Etiquettes

Venue address: De Kromhouthal, Evenementen Aan De Overkant B.V., Gedempt Hamerkanaal 231, 1021 KP Amsterdam

If arriving by car, the venue recommend this address for navigation: Gedempt Hamerkanaal 231 in Amsterdam .

Please note: this is not the address of De Kromhouthal. The Kromhouthal is located right opposite this address.


Please see information on how to get to the venue here . It’s very accessible by taxi, train (with a short walk) or even a free ferry (with a short walk).

Amsterdam is very easy to reach by plane for further-afield international guests or train/Eurostar/plane from Europe.

We have some affordable and sustainable picks on our website . As well as Hotel Maps with the best deals for you to choose a place to stay that suits your needs.


You can buy a ticket through our Gala homepage , you’ll then be directed to your account/will need to set up an account to purchase. All information on how much tickets are and what they include can be found on this page.

If you need an extra hand, our ticket buying guide can be found here.

You do not need a physical or digital ticket on the night - simply go to the registration desks, state your name and company name!

You will have received a confirmation email after buying your Gala Ceremony ticket, closer to the event you will reive an email with the full schedule of the night and any important details.

Please note, you do not need a physical or e-ticket for the gala, it’s operated on a guestlist basis.

There isn’t a deadline but we would urge people to purchase a ticket as soon as possible as our Gala does sell out every year.

If you want to guarantee receiving your trophy on the night you need to purchase tickets by Friday 12th September . After this date we cannot guarantee your trophy will be ready on the night but will be working closely with our suppliers to do our best in getting your engraved trophy there.

The official guaranteed deadline was 12th September, but don’t worry! The Pentawards team are working hard behind the scenes doing everything we can to have your engraved trophy ready on the night past this date and are in daily contact with our suppliers to work to the closest deadlines possible. 

We still highly recommend grabbing your ticket by Friday 26th September to give us the best shot at having your trophy ready in time.

We won’t have time to get your engraved trophy ready for the night, but we’ll still make sure you get your moment on stage with the following in place:

• You’ll head on stage with a placeholder trophy (photos will still look great, we promise)

• And your engraved trophy will be sent to you for free after the event

Yes, the FINAL deadline for any name changes, special requests or dietary restriction updates is Thursday 25th September.

After this we may not be able to make any changes and the following will be in place:

• For dietary requests, please contact Louisa directly louisa@pentawards.org and we will do our best to accommodate this for you. As standard, guests purchasing tickets after this date will be given the vegan menu option.

• Similarly, please contact Louisa with any guest name changes and we will confirm whether or not you will need to use the previously stated name on entry and for seating, or the updated one.

• For any seating requests past this point, we will do our best but cannot guarantee to accommodate this. Any concerns or queries, please get in touch with Louisa directly -  louisa@pentawards.org


Absolutely! We celebrate and award this year’s winners on the night, but it’s also a great event to network with the packaging design community, bring your clients and team to enjoy the night and get inspiration from the world’s best packaging designs of 2025.

Definitely, we’d really love for you to join us. Each year, more and more Certificate recipients have been attending so for the first time, if you’re attending the gala we’re excited to offer you the following as a new experience*:

• An official framed certificate to be collected at the event

• Your moment on stage and recognition of your company during the gala presentation 

• The opportunity to take official photos in front of the Pentawards logo wall

*Please note that the above is only available for those attending the gala who are certificate recipients only (not those who have also won a trophy). To guarantee your certificate collection on the night, please add your entry name and nomination code in the 'special request' box when purchasing your ticket.

Once tickets have been purchased, if you can no longer attend and would like to either request a refund or for the ticket to be allocated to someone else*, you will need to notify a member a member of the team via info@pentawards.org.

Refunds are based on the following timeframes:

- anytime up to 8 weeks before the event: 100% refund

- between 6 weeks prior to the event to 1 month prior: 50% refund

- 1 month or less before event: 0% refund

* Any changes to ticket names must be requested no later than 2 weeks prior to the event date to be guaranteed.

Yes! As per last year, we want to make sure each of our winners get their time to shine. All trophy winners will be invited on stage, including, special award winners, Diamond, Platinum as well as gold, silver and bronze winners will all have their time to get on stage, celebrate their moment and hold their trophy high.

If you’re a winner, you will be able to collect your trophy free of charge on the night. Please note that there is only one free trophy to be given per winning design, if you’d like to purchase more than one trophy for your team members or clients then you will be able to do so online after the ceremony.

The dress code for the night is smart, glamorous and stylish.

If you need some extra inspiration, see last year's outfits here.

We ask that all results are kept strictly confidential until after the 2025 Gala Ceremony on 4 October . Failure to follow these rules could result in disqualification.

Winners assets for you promote your win are now available to download in your account on the left hand drop down.

When entering the competition you will have ticked a box to acknowledge that if you win, buying a winner's package is compulsory.

All information around the Winner’s Package, including costs and the incredible benefits you get can be found here .

Students no longer need to pay their Winners' Package fee!

Winners packages and extra trophies can be bought online after the Gala ceremony, please see pricing here . We will send out more information regarding this in due course.

 

More questions?

If you still have any further questions, then get in touch with us here.