NPE 2006 sets record for international participation

The National Plastics Exhibition (NPE) 2006 attracted more international attendees and exhibitors than ever before, the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. (SPI), sponsor of the show, announced June 23.
International visitor registrations accounted for 24 per cent of the show’s 64,451 registrants. Additionally, after excluding exhibitor registrations, the total of international visitor registrations was 33 per cent larger than 2003. Canadians accounted for the largest share of international visitors, the SPI said.
Overall, registration was up two per cent of 2003 and nine per cent of 2000 although the number of exhibitors was down four per cent over 2003 to 1,850 due to industry consolidation, Walt Bishop, SPI’s vice-president of trade shows, said in a statement.
International exhibitors accounted for 33 per cent of total exhibitors compared to 30 per cent in 2003 and 24.5 per cent in 2000, he added, with the vast majority 127 — coming from mainland China and Hong Kong. Forty-five per cent of international exhibitors came from Asian countries compared to 118 from Canada, 62 from Germany and 61 from Taiwan.
As well, first-time exhibitors accounted for 38 per cent of the total compared with 18 per cent in NPE 2003.
“While the unprecedented participation by international exhibitors and visitors certainly contributed to the high level of excitement at NPE 2006, it was only one of the factors causing this show to market a turning point in NPE history,” Bishop said. “In preparing for NPE 2006, SPI developed innovative programs that would broaden the technological content of the show, attract new kinds of participants and increase the value of attending. We will further develop this strategy of trade show transformation as we begin to prepare for NPE 2009.”
Three new pavilions at NPE 2006 — Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE)/Rubber, North American Moldmakers and New Technology attracted 40 first-time exhibitors, many of which showcased emerging technologies such as bioplastics, nanocomposites and radio frequency identification (RFID), among others.
NPE 2006 also included a broader educational program with 120 sessions compared to 41 in 2003, and for the first time used the Internet to improve visitor experience through the myNPE networking and scheduling system, the SmartBooth lead generation service.
Additionally, the NPE365 industry search engine was introduced at the show, which matches suppliers with prospective customers.