3100 exhibitors, 57 countries, 8 days, 19 halls, 2 sore feet

The fun began on Oct. 27, 2010. The K show booked approximately 3100 exhibitors, hailing from 57 countries for the week-long plastics extravaganza. Show organizer Messe Düsseldorf said the exhibitors occupied 1.7 million ft² of net exhibit space, with host country Germany leading the way. Italy, which traditionally ranks second behind Germany in total exhibitors, did so once again with more than 400 Italian companies having booked a net space of 294,900 ft².

As attendees walked the floors, they quickly saw that Europe had a strong presence throughout the show halls, with Austria (87,200 ft²), Switzerland (65,600 ft²), France (53,800 ft²), and the Netherlands (45,200 ft²) all coming out in force. There were 115 companies from the United States, with their 48,400 ft² of exhibition space marking an increase from K 2007.

Points east of Europe were strongly represented as well, led by China (72,100 ft²), India (48,400 ft²), and Turkey (30,100 ft²), who all took up more space than three years ago. With 57,000 ft², Taiwanese companies maintained their strong representation from 2007. In addition, there were first-time exhibitors from Armenia, Chile, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Vietnam.

Given that there were 3100 exhibitors, and, assuming one stayed for the full show, a visitor would have to stop in at nearly 400 stands/day to see all of them, a pace of better than 45/hr. Assuredly no one accomplished that. Of course, K encompasses all there is in plastics, so we have brought you a sampling of highlights. For much more coverage straight from the show, visit k.plasticstoday.com. —[email protected]