Broader in scope, richer in content

The NPE2009 international plastics exposition ended on June 26 after exhibiting a high level of strength that contrasted with the current economic slowdown and promised a better business climate to come, as announced by SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association, which organizes the triennial NPE. Also concluded was an unprecedented array of co-located events and special programs, including conferences totaling more than 1,000 presentations, moldmaking and rapid product development trade shows, the first International Plastics Design Competition, multi-exhibitor pavilions for emerging and specialized technologies, and other events. Plastics professionals from nearly 19,000 companies came to NPE2009 to discover innovations, make connections, plan purchasing, and - often enough - close deals on the spot. The trade show portion of the event had 1,851 exhibiting companies on 977,660 sq.ft. of space. Based on preliminary figures, the total visitors reached 44,000. While this registration figure was about 30% below the corresponding number for NPE2006, the number of companies represented by registrants was down only 17%, indicating a strong level of buying power, according to Mr. William R. Carteaux, president and CEO of SPI. "Over and over during NPE week, exhibitors and attendees rated NPE2009 a success as a showplace for innovation and a marketplace for doing business," said Mr. Carteaux. "With very difficult economic times and travel reductions caused by concerns about the H1N1 pandemic, it came as no surprise that attendee delegations were smaller than in 2006, but those company representatives that did come to NPE2009 were typically significant players with real purchasing power.?He cited reports from exhibitors detailing large transactions for processing equipment systems closed right on the exhibit floor. Many exhibitors remarked on the high quality of booth visitors, measured by their level of interest, technical knowledge, and buying influence. A common report from exhibitors was that the number of "quality" leads generated during NPE2009 was equal to or greater than those at NPE2006. Attendee registrants came from 101 countries, with those from Canada and Mexico making up the largest national groups. Among exhibitors, one-third came directly from outside the United States. Of these, China accounted for the largest group, followed by Canada. There were 29 "country" delegations. New features surpassed previous edition NPE2009 surpassed any previous NPE for the sheer breadth of discovery available to industry professionals. Special programs and co-located events were all well-attended, among these: ANTEC 2009, the world's largest plastics technical conference; MoldMaking Expo, a premiere conference and trade show for moldmakers; and SPI's own Business of Plastics Conference, a new type of event focusing on strategy and best practices. Also contributing to the uniqueness of NPE2009 is the wide range of emerging technologies presented in exhibits and conferences. While NPE has always been a showplace for innovation, an added dimension at NPE2009 ushered in a multitude of new technologies that address four of the plastics industry's timeliest concerns: sustainability, bioplastics, nanotechnology, and energy. Thus in the Emerging Technologies Pavilion, 25 companies and organizations showcased their exhibits relating to these concerns. Resource conservation, renewable resources, recycling, degradability, solid waste source reduction, energy efficiency, elimination of pollutants, shrinking carbon footprints-virtually every visitor at NPE2009 expressed interest in one or more of these goals. In the area of bioplastics, 38 exhibitors showed off their bioplastics-related tAir Max Flair KPU