Messe Dusseldorf
Messe Düsseldorf, organiser of the K 2013 trade show, has issued a statement saying that expectations for business at the show have been exceeded. It says that exhibitors have reported numerous concrete project enquiries, negotiations with visitors and a large number of business deals, some of which were concluded on-site and were worth millions.
Chairman of the Exhibitors’ Advisory Board for K 2013 Ulrich Reifenhäuser said: “We had not expected visitors’ willingness to invest to be this high. The many innovative products and applications premiered in Düsseldorf met with great interest from trade visitors. And the innovations were not just admired as many, very concrete negotiations were held and contracts were signed. Many customers are extending their capacities and are investing in new technologies to sharpen their global competitive edge. We very confidently anticipate strong post-fair business and expect continuing growth in our sector.”
The group has reported that approximately 218,000 visitors came from over 120 countries. Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, President & CEO of Messe Düsseldorf said: “Once again it becomes very clear that K is and remains the most important event in the rubber and plastics industry. This is where new technologies are premiered alongside fully matured further developments and this is also where orders are placed for these innovations. Foreign visitors to K 2013, in particular, showed an extremely high willingness to invest and one in two visitors came to Düsseldorf with specific purchasing intentions in mind. Even if the size of delegations from the individual purchasing companies dropped slightly, no firm producing or using plastic goods missed this chance to find out about the innovations of today and the trends of the future at K 2013.”
The previous event in 2010 saw 222,486 visitors and 3,094 exhibitors taking part. The proportion of visitors from Asia accounted for the largest group of foreign visitors – totalling approximately 30,000 from South, East and Central Asia as well as from the Near and Middle East.
8,100 visitors were registered from the USA and Canada – 1,300 more than at K 2010. 11,000 came from Latin America, and 2,000 from South Africa.
In Europe, the Netherlands dominated with 8,000 visitors, followed by France, Belgium, Great Britain and Italy. There was also a noticeable rise in interest from Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. The statement went on to say that about two-thirds of the visitors came from top or middle management.