Although the official numbers are not yet in, the anecdotal consensus is that the co-located Plastec West and Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) West event in Anaheim, CA, exceeded expectations. Certainly, all of the exhibitors I spoke with seemed very pleased by the turnout. Of course, many noted that they would not have a true measure of the show's success from a business perspective for another few weeks as they followed up on booth visits. 

After the show on day two, Feb. 8, the Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) hosted a well-attended reception on the top floor of the Anaheim Convention Center. Chief Operating Officer Glenn Anderson spoke about PLASTICS' renewed mission to "protect, promote, and grow the plastics industry" and the forthcoming Space Draw for NPE 2024. He offered a word to the wise: Get your booth applications in now. It's bound to be a banner year for NPE: More than 1,100 applications have been received already accounting for almost 900,000 square feet of booth space, said Anderson.

PlasticsToday spoke with Anderson just before the reception about the mood at Plastec West and within the industry overall in the context of a new year that is economically confounding. You can hear what he had to say in the video embedded in the tweet below.