Why plastics move the world
After months of preparation and planning, K 2013 finally opens its doors this week. Here, the team from the Messe Dusseldorf provides a special report on the theme of this year’s show, which will be presented in the form of a dedicated exhibition area.
Plastics move the world – particularly in connection with the major challenges faced by our modern society. Incredibly versatile, lightweight, safe, durable, economic and impressively energy-efficient – with their multitude of positive properties, polymers are indispensible in most areas of our daily lives. The material’s success story is far from over, as it moves into new areas of application all the time. Plastics move our lives in more ways then one, both in the figurative and the literal sense. Around 3,100 exhibitors will document this enormous potential at the K 2013, the largest international tradeshow for plastics and rubber, which runs from 16 – 23 October in Düsseldorf, Germany.
During the show there will be a dedicated exhibition area that will revolve around the theme “plastics move the world”. The area is designed to illustrate the many improvements already attributed to plastic products today and their potential contribution to future challenges, for example by protecting global resources in the future.
The display, which will take pace in hall six, takes a broad approach to the meaning of the word ‘to move’. It includes not merely the direct contributions of plastics to different areas of mobility, but also emotional aspects, for example their effect on art and design, and their potential for solving future problems such as demographic growth, increasing energy consumption and climate change. The display will be hosted in a special area, which will provide a combination of information, interaction, show elements and presentations.
Additionally, the theme area will also feature lectures as well as daily discussion panels (except for Sunday and the last day of the exhibition) with experts from science and industry. On the second day of the trade show, Bertrand Piccard, renowned pioneer in the are of solar-powered aircraft, will present his project. His Solar Impulse craft is currently on its longest mission, crossing the USA from San Francisco to New York using only solar energy. In 2015, he plans to complete a non-stop flight around the globe with a solar-powered aircraft.
The daily discussion panel will also deal with complex issues such as marine debris, which threatens oceans and coasts. Due to the fact that international K 2013 visitors and exhibitors attend these discussions, they will be delivered alternately in German and in English.