Chinaplas the “go-to” show as numbers hit record high

A double-digit growth in visitor numbers at the recently-held Chinaplas 2014 trade show in Shanghai has made it the “go-to” event in the Southern Hemisphere, says the Director General Designate of the British Plastics Federation.

Reflecting on the new records set by the most recent edition of the show, which saw 130,370 visitors during the four-day show, representing a 14.26 percent increase on the previous year, Philip Law said the heavy number of visitors from outside China made it an attractive place to do business.

“The British Group reported brisk business throughout the show,” Law commented. "Around 50 percent of the visitors to the BPF stand were from outside China and it is clear that Chinaplas is now seen by many as the show to go to. Specifically we saw a large numbers of visitors coming from Africa, Middle East, India and Australia.”

According to the show’s organisers, the total number of overseas visitors to Chinaplas increased by 19.73 percent to 36,841, accounting for 28.26 percent of total visitors and came from 143 countries and regions. The number of domestic visitors maintained a strong figure of 93,529 with an increment of 12.24 percent.

“We are happy with the results of the show and have received very positive feedbacks from both our exhibitors and visitors. The continuous rise of overseas visitors reflects our show is gaining recognition from around the world, as an effective platform for industrial sourcing and for getting the latest information on market trends and technology,” commented Ada Leung, Assistant General Manager at Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd., the organisers of Chinaplas.

Chinaplas 2014 also marked a new record in terms of exhibition scale and number of exhibitors, with over 3,000 exhibitors from 39 countries and regions participating in the show.

In addition to occupying all 17 exhibition halls in Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC), 13 additional outdoor halls and six exhibition suites were also set up at the Central Square of SNIEC to cope with the ever increasing number of exhibitors, resulting in a total exhibition area over 220,000 sqm for this year.

The British Group was made up of 10 companies, which was limited only due to the lack of available space in the show halls. Leading BPF member exporters - Meech, Zotefoams, Boston Matthews, Aerogen, and MSA - exhibited alongside Ceramicx and Rapidflame.

Commenting, Stephen Hunt of the British Plastics Federation stated: “When I first attended this show in Shanghai 10 years ago it comprised of just four halls. This time there was 30. We could have taken five or six more companies but we simply could not get enough space to meet our demand as the show was massively over subscribed. This was a situation shared by all the major European trade associations whose demand for space at the show halls could not be accommodated. I would strongly advise companies thinking of coming to the show next year to sign up early."

The 29th edition of Chinaplas will be held on 20-23 May, 2015 at China Import and Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, PR China.