K 2013, the world's largest plastics trade show, is right around the corner. Are you ready for the 8-day show in Düsseldorf, Germany? Ready to mix with more than 200,000 attendees, visiting 3,000+ exhibitors in 19 trade show halls?
It takes some planning.
To get you started, the folks at K 2013 host Messe Düsseldorf put together a list of 12 helpful tips for show attendees:
Getting to the fairgrounds:
1. Public transportation is recommended to get to the fairgrounds. From downtown Düsseldorf, Tram No. U78 goes to the North Entrance, Tram No. U79 to the East Entrance and Bus No. 722 serves the East and South Entrances. From the airport, Bus No. 896 connects to all fairgrounds entrances. Visitor, exhibitor and press entrance passes to the show allow free use of all public transportation on all days of K 2013 within the Rhine-Ruhr regional network (VRR) of Düsseldorf and the Rhine-Sieg (VRS) transportation network which includes the neighboring cities of Bonn, Cologne, Dortmund, Krefeld and Wuppertal
(exhibitors can also ride free of charge two days before and after the show).
2. Taxi fares are made up of a basic flat rate plus a charge per kilometer; fares are generally higher than in the United States; for tips: round up to the next full euro amount (maximum 10 percent). Taxis must be boarded at taxi stands.
3. Rental cars are available from Avis, Europcar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Sixt and other companies; offices are located at the Düsseldorf airport, the main train station and several downtown locations. On the main streets in Düsseldorf, "Messe Düsseldorf" signs show the way to the fairgrounds; parking signs will lead to one of the fairgrounds' 12 parking lots.
At the show:
4. K 2013 will take place from October 16-23, 2013 at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany.
5. Entrance passes and show directories can be purchased online at www.k-online.de in advance of the show at reduced rates (49 euros for a 1-day ticket, 108 euros for a 3-day ticket) or on show site at regular rates (65 euros for a 1-day ticket and 135 euros for a 3-day ticket). The tickets will again include free use of all public transportation within the Rhine-Ruhr regional network (VRR) of Düsseldorf and the Rhine-Sieg (VRS) transportation network which includes the neighboring cities of Bonn, Cologne, Dortmund, Krefeld and Wuppertal.
6. The KATI electronic visitor guidance and information system makes it easy to find the location of every exhibitor and product category; KATI terminals are located in every hall.
7. The exhibit halls are linked by protected walkways, moving sidewalks and shuttle buses.
8. Located in the middle of the fairgrounds is a food store, hardware store and telecommunication store (where vouchers for wireless access can be purchased) as well as a post office, bank and travel agency.
Germany in general:
9. Shops are generally open from 9:00 am to 6:30 pm Monday through Friday and from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturday. Larger department stores are often open until 8 pm on weekdays and until 6 pm on Saturday. All stores are closed on Sunday.
10. Banks are generally open from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm and from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm (Thursdays to 5:30 pm); the euro is the single currency for the European Union Nations, including Germany. The euro comes in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 bills and 1 and 2 and 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents coins.
11. Restaurants: Asking for a quick service in a non fast-food restaurant is considered impolite; water does not accompany the meal but can be ordered by the bottle; tipping: service charge is included in the bill (but a small tip should be handed to the waitress/waiter directly).
12. A brochure about German business customs and practices can be ordered from Messe Düsseldorf North America free of charge.
For more information on visiting or exhibiting, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America (www.mdna.com). For hotel and travel information, contact TTI Travel Inc. (www.traveltradeint.com).
Plastics News will have a high profile at this year's K show; chances are pretty good that every time you walk into the Messe Düsseldorf entrance, someone will hand you a copy of our show daily. We will print, produce and deliver six dailies at the show, in a cooperative project with our sister publications in Europe, PRW, European Plastics News, Urethanes Technology International and European Rubber Journal.
Not coming to the show? Or are you worried you'll miss major news and technology announcements? Don't worry, we'll also deliver more than 100,000 digital editions of our dailies to readers worldwide.
You can go to the K 2013 section of Plastics News' website to sign up for the dailies, and to see all the latest headlines in the days leading up to the show.
