Washington — Exhibit space for the next NPE trade show has sold out for the first time ever, reaching that status during its space draw in Orlando, Fla., March 20-22.
"We anticipated that NPE2018 would break the record we set in 2015, but it's incredible that we exceeded our numbers during space draw, a full 14 months ahead of NPE2018," said Bill Carteaux, president and CEO of the Plastics Industry Association, which organizes the triennial event.
The association said in a March 29 news release that it will work to accommodate exhibitors still waiting for booth assignments with limited availability in several technology zones.
Additional space also may become available in the coming weeks, the association said, and applicants waiting for space will be contacted for a special space draw in the event of changes or cancellations.
NPE takes place over three halls at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando and is set for May 7-11, 2018.
Masato Mori, vice president of molder and mold maker Canon Virginia Inc., noted in the Plastics Industry Association's release that his company was among those opting to increase the size of its booth.
"The growth of the global plastic industry and manufacturing within the past few years has been encouraging and we are optimistic for continued progress," Mori said. "Because of this trend, we made the decision to expand our booth space for NPE2018."
The 2018 event is expected to draw more than 65,000 people from processors, materials suppliers, machinery makers and others in the plastics industry.