Mexico City — The Mexican plastics trade show Plastimagen will be held in digital format only from March 22-26 this year, organizer Tarsus México confirmed Feb. 19.
In a statement, first published on Feb. 17 by Mexico City magazine Ambiente Plástico, Tarsus said it had taken the decision in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and after consulting with its "strategic ally," Anipac, Mexico's national plastics industry association.
Tarsus had been hoping to attract 100-150 live exhibitors to an event branded as Plastimagen Light at Mexico City's World Trade Center, a figure based on company surveys carried out within the industry.
A significantly smaller show than a traditional Plastimagen México, it was conceived to fill the three-year gap between Plastimagen, last held in April 2019, and the next edition of the event, the 23rd, scheduled for March 2022.
Originally, organizers had planned for a Plastimagen show in November 2020. That event was postponed to January 2021 and then to March 2022.
"We think it's important to support the industry. People in Mexico want to do business," Paul St. Amour, the company's vice president for Latin America, had told Plastics News in October soon after announcing Plastimagen Light.
"But we just don't know how the numbers will play out. The reality is we have to hope for the best while planning for the worst," St. Amour added.
Plastimagen Mexico's 2019 edition attracted 863 exhibiting companies and hosted 28,000-plus visitors from 40 countries.