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Has it already been three years since the last K show? Indeed it has, and the 16th edition of the international plastics and rubber trade show is quickly approaching. K 2004 will be held October 20 through 27 in Halls 1 to 17 at the Düsseldorf Trade Fair Centre in Germany. The show is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and a daily admission ticket is $55 ($15 for students). A three-day ticket to the show is $120. Order tickets online at www.k-online.com and click on ?Tickets.?
There are over 2700 exhibitors registered for the show, with 1.7 million sq ft of net exhibition space in all 17 halls of the fairgrounds?107,600 sq ft more space than K 2001. Two U.S. pavilions, located in Halls 5 and 13, will include 54 companies with products on display. KATI terminals, a computerized catalog display system, are located in every hall and can be used to find the location of exhibitors and product categories.
Show Transportation
All show tickets can be used for free public transportation to and from the show on buses, streetcars, underground trams (U-Bahn), urban railways (S-Bahn), and German rail service within the Rhine-Ruhr (VRR) and Rhine-Sieg (VRS) regional networks, including Düsseldorf, Bonn, and Cologne. To get to and from the fairgrounds, public transportation is recommended. From downtown Düsseldorf, Tram No. U78 goes to the north entrance, Tram No. U79 to the east entrance, and Bus No. 722 goes to the east and south entrances.
Düsseldorf International Airport has direct connections to 180 destinations on four continents, and is served by 70 airlines. The airport is 3 km from the Düsseldorf Trade Fair Centre, which is accessible via the No. 896 bus or a taxi. The airport is also convenient to Düsseldorf?s city center and hotels. For airport information call +49 (0) 211 421-0, and for customs information call +49 (0) 211 421-6927.
Düsseldorf-Moenchengladbach Airport is located 25 km west of Düsseldorf, about 20 minutes away from the fairgrounds and the Düsseldorf city center via Highway A 52 and A 44. Bus Line 010 connects the airport with Moenchengladbach central railway station. For airport information call +49 (0) 2161 68 98-0, and for customs information call +49 (0) 2161 66 63 28.
Polymers in Sports Exhibit
A grandstand with 140 original plastic seats will provide a good view during presentations and discussions at the ?Plastics?First Choice for Winners? special exhibit at K?and, as befits a plastics tradeshow, the technical construction of the seats will also be discussed. The 540-sq-m exhibit arena, located in Hall 6, showcases the use of plastics in athletics, water, winter, and ball sports. The focus is on the development of sports equipment, technical accessories, and sportswear, as well as the contribution of plastics to sports for the disabled.
In addition to theory, athletes will give live demonstrations of the usefulness of polymers in sports. Members of the German Olympic high-diving team will perform training dives from two 3-m boards into a basin filled with foam-rubber bales, a modern training method.
Other areas of the exhibit include high-elasticity gym apparatus, lightweight sports equipment, high-strength materials for sports facility architecture, and accessories such as goggles, helmets, and special clothing. Even today?s rehabilitation techniques, equipment, and aids use plastics.
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The special presentation is organized by the German plastics industry, spearheaded by the Verband Kunststofferzeugende Industrie e.V. (Assn. of the Plastics Producing Industry?VKE), and Messe Düsseldorf.
Food at the Show
The K Fair halls offer restaurants, snack bars, bistros, self-service facilities, and takeaway options, with something for every taste. When the time comes for a lunch break, here?s what to look for:
Hall 3: restaurant (international food), snack bar, fast food ?Burgair World Express?
Hall 4: restaurant (international food), snack bar
Hall 5: restaurant ?Pasta Pasta,? bistro bar
Hall 7: snack bar, restaurant (outside) ?Rheinischer Biergarten?
Hall 9: self-service restaurant ?Meridien,? snack bar ?Le Buffet? Hall 10: self-service restaurant ?Highway,? snack bar ?Le Buffet?
Hall 11: self-service restaurant ?Springtime,? snack bar ?Le Buffet?
Hall 12: self-service restaurant ?Schweizer Stuben?
Hall 15: snack bar ?Le Buffet?
Hall 16: top restaurant ?Fish & Beef?
Hall 17: snackbar ?Le Buffet?
Opposite Halls 9 and 17: snack pavilion
To download a pdf with dining options in Düsseldorf, click here.
