I know when we launched CPP EXPO four years ago that most people looked at us with a jaundiced eye, while others looked at CPP as the future of converting industry trade shows. Partnering with PACK EXPO and PROCESS EXPO (food processing) seemed to make sense to our customers and their customers who were willing to take a chance and a glance of the future!
With people’s time as precious as it is, not everyone can exhibit in or attend every trade show in their respective industries. Most events were downsizing as attendance at these same shows depleted faster than the lost square footage. Sound familiar? Something needed to be done. But what?
How about combine a Converting and Package Printing event with the largest Packaging and Food Processing shows in North America? This radical idea required some consideration: it was a big change and certainly not the typical course. Many of you were hesitant, and took a wait and see attitude. Turns out, our strategy paid off and the first co-located event in 2006 in Chicago drew 6,140 attendees to CPP EXPO, not too bad for a first-time event. We are expecting over 7,000 visitors to our November 2008 event.
Our second CPP Vegas 2007 show drew nearly 3,600 visitors, a 28% increase from the inaugural event in 2005. It is essential to bear in mind that the attendees in Las Vegas are comprised principally of the top echelon of companies even as Chicago is a total corporate event.
So, you’re still a little suspect of the full supply chain event and cross market shows? Consider what has taken place since we started working with our show partners in 2004:
In Brazil, March 10-14, 2008 - five shows co-locate under one roof. BrazilPack, Fiepag, Flexo Latin America, Brazil Screen & Digital Show and Packaging Innovation Exhibition. Individual exhibitions which are industry related now co-located under one roof! Great idea.
In Germany, April 24-30, 2008 – Heidelberger Druckmaschinen and MAN Roland for the first-time will exhibit in INTERPACK, with Drupa taking place just one month later!
In Italy, March 24-28, 2009 – three shows will co-locate under one roof. IPACKima, Converflex and GraphItalia. How’d they come up with that great idea?
It’s not rocket science, just a natural progression of adjusting to industry trends. Yet diehards still chant Drupa, Drupa! Go ahead, keep chanting: with the Euro as high as it is against the dollar, look for more of a European presence at US trade shows and less US attendance at European events.
Look for more co-locations of related trade events. In my opinion, those events, without a vision of the future, will be banished to Rosemont for a three day show - and eventually go the way of the dinosaur (or to Gibson’s Steakhouse). Think about it.
Looking forward to welcoming you to McCormick Place at CPP EXPO/PACK EXPO/PROCESS EXPO, November 9-13, 2008. Now you know what we’ve started.
For exhibiting opportunities, contact me at 201-881-1632 or e-mail me at lnadolske@cppexpo.com.
