It's been a long time since any of us were at NPE. It's been so long that there has been a generational shift in the plastics industry. Nearly half of the 55,000 people — potentially as many as 60,000 people — at NPE2024 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., May 6-10 will be first-time attendees.
"We have new people who haven't been to the show before, who don't know what to expect and who are going to be opening their eyes on what the industry is capable of," said Daniele Fresca, director of trade show services for the Plastics Industry Association, the show's organizer.
Earlier this year, I headed to Orlando to meet with show planners, the company that will recycle material from exhibitors' booths and Orlando tourism officials to talk about what's new in 2024. You can find a series of videos from those interviews on plasticsnews.com, focused on general information, what exhibitors can expect, how first-time attendees should prepare, the effort to recycle 100 percent of material from the show floor and some options for what to do after show hours.
If you're one of those new attendees, then you've probably already had people tell you to wear comfortable shoes. But seriously: Wear comfortable shoes. If you're an NPE veteran, there are some new items at NPE this year, including keynote speakers, special presentations on sustainability, innovation and bottling and different access levels.
You can access all of the videos from here. And find a longer version of this column with points that I couldn't fit into the videos over here.