NPE2012 pre-draw held at SPI headquarters

A lottery held on May 24 has enabled a core group of longtime NPE exhibitors to choose space at NPE2012 nearly two years before the event, a move designed to generate a preliminary floor plan that will help other companies with their own space selection.

Held at the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) – which produces the triennial show – the lottery was open to SPI member companies that have exhibited in at least 15 of the 26 NPEs held so far.

The pre-draw, the first in NPE history, doesn’t alter the seniority system, but does allow the 64 SPI member companies that have exhibited at NPE at least 15 times to choose their space in advance of the regular space draw. The change in the process for drawing space came about because the 2012 NPE show will be held in Orlando rather than the show traditional site in Chicago.

“The 64 companies that applied were grouped in accordance with the length of their exhibiting histories,” SPI said, “Within each group, SPI assigned space selection priorities randomly by lottery. Actual space selection by these companies will take place in a ‘Pre-Drawing’ during the next two months.”

The next drawing is scheduled for January 12-14, 2011, and will be open to all exhibitors

NPE 2012 will take place from Sunday, April 1 through Thursday, April 5.