SPI reports record-breaking results for NPE2018 pre-draw

It’s still almost two years away, but the NPE2018 plastics trade show is off to a good start.

A record number of companies selected space for the 2018 show in a recently concluded pre-draw process, according to show organizer the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. (SPI)

In the pre-draw, long-time exhibitors were able to pick their spaces on the NPE2018 expo floor. According to the SPI, 81 SPI member companies selected a record 243,700 square feet of exhibit space during the pre-draw – an 11 per cent or 27,000-square-foot increase over NPE2015, which previously held the record for the biggest pre-draw in the more than 80-year history of NPE.

“NPE2015 set several records for square footage and international participation which made it an event for the ages,” said SPI president and CEO William Carteaux. “Every three years, when NPE takes place, it has a measurable impact on the economy. The fact that more plastics companies than ever before are taking up more floor space, and doing so this early in the game, is an indication that the plastics industry is optimistic about its future prospects for growth on a global scale.”

SPI hosted the NPE2018 pre-draw lottery on June 7, 2016 at its Washington, D.C. office. The event determined the order by which qualifying companies – SPI member companies with a 15-show history or higher (and their affiliates) – could select their exhibit space for NPE2018. Applications for the full space draw for SPI member companies with less than a 15-show history, and all non-SPI member companies, will be available starting on September 6, 2016 at www.NPE.org and are due on November 18, 2016. The full space draw lottery will be held March 20-22, 2017, at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla.

NPE2018 is scheduled for May 7-11, 2018, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.