China's largest plastics trade show continues to grow, as Chinaplas 2006 reported record attendance of almost 60,000, with 1,420 exhibitors and more than 990,000 square feet of exhibit space.
Exhibitors this year came from 29 countries and regions, and the show included nine country and region pavilions, including Canada and the United States. Show organizer Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd. said exhibit space this year represented a 19.5 percent increase over the space booked at Chinaplas 2005.
Adsale reports that preliminary numbers for the 20th edition of the show, held April 26-29 in Shanghai, indicate the event attracted 59,812 visitors, including 9,484 (or nearly 16 percent) foreign visitors from 100 countries and regions. That represents a 20 percent jump from the 7,920 at last year's fair.
Those visitors mainly came from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and other Southeast Asian countries. Despite their size, trade shows in China still are largely regional events.
Chinaplas will hold its next edition May 21-24, 2007, in Guangzhou. According to its normal rotation, next year's show should have been held in Beijing, but Adsale said a survey of exhibitors indicated a preference to return to the booming South China region. It also noted that Beijing's existing facilities cannot adequately accommodate the show's anticipated exhibition space of about 1.08 million square feet.
Adsale Group Chairman Stanley Chu said Beijing will be a strong candidate for hosting Chinaplas 2009, as the Chinese capital plans to open a new exhibition center of that size in the first half of next year.