MIAMI — Attendance was flat at Plasticos de las Americas, held April 15-17 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
Organizer Robert P. Birkfeld estimated that 3,000 people registered to attend, and about 100 plastics firms exhibited.
``It's almost exactly the same as the first, held in 1996. We were hoping to do better, but we didn't,'' Birkfeld said.
He said the show is designed to help American, European and Asian suppliers reach Latin American plastics processors.
Some exhibitors liked the Miami location; others complained about the attendance.
One reason Birkfeld cited for lower-than-expected attendance was that Argenpl s '98 was held the week before in Buenos Aires. That ``basically took away the Southern region from the support of [Plasticos] this year,'' he said.
Some show-goers noted the week after Easter, when children are on vacation in countries like Mexico, is a difficult time to hold a trade show.
Plasticos shared the Miami Beach center with the International Coatings Expo Latinoamerica '98, featuring 30 exhibitors of coatings, solvents and additives, to cut down on overhead costs, Birkfeld said.
Plasticos is organized in conjunction with Birkfeld's firm, Prescott Group, Inc. of Port St. Lucie, Fla., and two magazines: Plastics Technology and a Spanish-language affiliate, Tecnologia de Plastico.
