New Florida Location is Catalyst for Investment in Bigger, Better Exhibit Booths with More Equipment in Operation on Show Floor

October, 18, 2011 - Exhibit space purchased for the NPE2012 international plastics exposition already surpasses the amount occupied at the previous NPE, and exhibit sales continue to mount, it was announced at FAKUMA 2011 by SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association.

SPI produces the triennial NPE. Scheduled for April 1-5, 2012, NPE2012 will take place for the first time in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A., after 40 years in Chicago. Exhibit space at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) is divided between two giant buildings. For NPE2012, the West Building is sold out, and less than 50% of the space in the North-South Building remains unsold.

“We are well on our way to completely filling the OCCC,” said Gene Sanders, SPI’s senior vice president of trade shows and conferences.

SPI Presentation at FAKUMA: Latest Data on U.S. Industry and NPE2012

During FAKUMA, representatives of SPI presented a U.S. Plastics Market & NPE2012 Update. The program consisted of an up-to-date overview of the U.S. economy and plastics industry provided by Michael Taylor, SPI’s Senior Director for International Trade, plus the latest information on NPE2012.

Based on booth sales thus far, total net exhibit space at NPE2012 will exceed 93,000 sq.m, far surpassing the space occupied at NPE2009, according to Sanders. About 2,000 companies will exhibit. At least 50,000 plastics professionals from more than 100 countries are expected to attend.

The advantages of exhibiting in Orlando have been the chief driver in the surge of exhibit space sales, Sanders noted. A systematic study of prospective venues for NPE2012 made by SPI revealed that holding the event in Orlando instead of Chicago would save exhibitors an average of: 48% on utilities for booths; 19% on on-site hauling and rigging services for exhibitors; 23% on lodging; and 11% on travel.

“SPI made the decision to move NPE2012 to Orlando because of the substantial cost savings available for exhibitors and visitors, and the considerable logistical advantages for setting up and operating a booth,” said Sanders. “These benefits are bringing a new dynamism to NPE2012 as many exhibiting companies commit to larger booths than in 2009 and plan to operate more equipment on the show floor.”

Multiple Events, Programs, and Displays to Attract Visitors to NPE2012

NPE2012 will have as its core the 27th edition of the world-scale NPE trade show, with a large international participation among its exhibitors and attendees. But there will be much more besides.

“We have designed NPE2012 to be a multi-faceted experience, with activities, discoveries, and opportunities enough to satisfy the needs of anyone who works in the plastics industry or has a need to know about plastics,” said Sanders. “The scope of our education program alone makes NPE2012 unique among plastics expositions”

Listed below are key aspects of NPE2012 in addition to standard trade show exhibits:

● April 1st is ‘Super Sunday’ NPE2012 opens on a new day in a new venue with an all-new schedule that includes 14 hours of back-to-back technical sessions, panel discussions, an industry golf tournament and networking events that truly break the mold for “NPE Week.” The Opening Gala on Sunday evening will include award presentations to the industry’s icons who have made outstanding contributions to the plastics industry throughout their careers.

● 2nd International Plastics Design Competition. This SPI program will include an exhibit of product entries by designers, processors, moldmakers, and OEMs, and an on-site awards presentation. The competition is open to entrants from around the world and to applications in appliances, automotive, construction, electronics, medical, packaging, and all other consumer and industrial market sectors.

● ANTEC® 2012, the world’s largest plastics technical conference, produced by the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE). The 201l edition of the annual ANTEC conference included 108 topical sessions comprised of more than 700 presentations, with technical papers consisting of original content reviewed by industry peers.

● Business of Plastics Conference. Produced by SPI, this conference will focus on timely topics of broad interest to plastics professionals, with whole sessions devoted to bioplastics, sustainability, medical and healthcare markets, plastics marketing, and issues involving regulation, safety, and industry advocacy.

● Latin American Seminar en Español. Publicar-B2Bportales, a media partner of NPE2012 and publisher of Tecnologia del Plastico, Conversión, and El Empaque magazines, will produce this educational program conducted in Spanish.

● Emerging Technology Pavilions. There will be several multi-exhibitor pavilions, two of which will focus on innovative materials such as bioplastics and nanocomposites (sponsored by DuPont) and sustainability (sponsored by Braskem).

● Market Technology Pavilions. These multi-exhibitor pavilions will include advanced manufacturing and automation; adhesives and sealants; elastomers and TPEs; fluoropolymers; flexible vinyl; medical products; thermoforming; Moldmaking Showcase; and the Processors and Suppliers Center.

● Technology Theater. Located on the exhibit floor, the theater will enable exhibitors to offer 30-minute presentations, product demonstrations, or seminars in accordance with a schedule available to all NPE2012 attendees.

● ‘Plastics in Sports.’ At locations around the show, special display and interactive demonstration areas will be set up to highlight the contribution of plastics to making sports safer and more enjoyable and the equipment more durable and functional. Open to all NPE2012 visitors, the demonstration areas will present the design, processing, raw materials, machinery, and tooling used to accomplish innovations in sporting goods and facilities.

The NPE2012 international plastics exposition will take place Sunday through Thursday, April 1-5, 2012, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. A complete schedule of events can be found online at www.npe.org. NPE is solely owned and produced by the SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association.

Source: NPE2012