Interplas
Leanne Taylor believes local shows are an important part of the plastics industry.
Now approaching my seventh year working as part of the UK plastics industry, I have trodden many a show floor in exhibition halls across several continents.
Some of these, like behemoth, K Show, are a spectacle to behold and require precision planning to navigate, with some 19 halls teeming with exhibitors. Indeed, Chinaplas, on a similar note, sprawls across a bigger space each year, as exhibitors clamour to gain a foothold in this voracious market.
These shows, of course, are important; they provide a hub for global visitors to view innovative solutions and applications from exhibitors spanning all areas of plastics manufacturing.
For many visitors, particularly those from more remote countries, events such as Chinaplas and K, with their week-long durations and broad scale, might be the only time they can justify such lengthy travel and expense to attend an industry event.
However, as much as these big shows have an important place in the industry, it is imperative not to overlook the local, national and regional shows, which, for me, play a significant role. Interplas this month, for example.
A contact of mine at Jaguar Land Rover UK told me that for he and his colleagues, a visit to Interplas is imperative, offering an important opportunity to keep up-to-date with industry progress, in a convenient location.
“One of the great things about Interplas for us is the fact that it is just down the road,” he explained.
“People talk about K Show, which is obviously huge for plastics, but it’s not always possible for us to dedicate the staff resources to go to K. For us as a company, the fact we can see the materials suppliers that we would get to see at K Show without having to travel to Düsseldorf is a real benefit. They of course might not have as big a stand as they do at K, but for them to have a presence at Interplas is incredibly important.”
This, for me, epitomises the need for local shows, for them to be championed, supported and valued in their own right.
When I attend Interplas later this month I am looking forward to a show that will not only house live working machinery, facilitate networking and deliver an educational conference programme, but one that will help foster innovation, champion UK manufacturing and help keep our industry on the map in times of unprecedented uncertainty.