Iranpolymer/ Baspar This is our exclusive interview with Mr. Fabrizio Vanzan’s – head of Plast exhibition department. You can find useful information in it. From Iran, 8 exhibitors have participated in the exhibition so far.
Iranpolymer/ Baspar: The Plast exhibition will be held in a few months, after 5 years due to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. What effects did this time break have on the exhibition? How do you expect the reception of the exhibition to be?
After a 5-year hiatus, the international trade fair PLAST is (finally) back on the starting blocks, with a rich agenda focusing on green innovation.
After an absence of five years, expectations are naturally high. The last edition of PLAST took place in 2018. Following, and inevitably as a consequence of, the well known issue of the COVID-19 pandemic and the forced replanning of the international trade fairs for our industry, the show has been moved the date to 5-8 September 2023. This is, of course, an unusual period of the year for the event, which had always been held in the spring. However, this choice allows to avoid any conflict with other major fairs while also taking advantage of the pleasant September weather, which will only help attract visitors from abroad. Not only will they be able to profit from the opportunity to visit the halls and stands at the fair, but they can also enjoy the many beautiful sights in our country.
Iranpolymer/ Baspar: How many halls will the exhibition be held this year? how many participants? from which countries?
The exhibition layout at PLAST 2023 comprises six halls: Halls 9 and 11 will be mainly occupied by raw materials suppliers (also gathered in the satellite-show PlastMat) but will also host different types of machines and the other satellite-show RUBBER; 13 and 15 will be dedicated to extrusion, welding, recycling; and 22 and 24 will focus on injection moulding, blow-moulding, and auxiliaries, besides the third satellite-show 3Dplast.
PLAST 2023 numbers prove the desire of companies to meet and exchange ideas and solutions once again after such a long time.
Most of the companies that took part in the 2021 edition have confirmed their presence this year as well.
There are currently almost one thousand participants registered for PLAST and nearly a third of them are from abroad, from tens of different countries.
A large number of companies are exhibiting for the first time, a fact that is unquestionably worthy of note. Lastly, both the Chinese and the Iranian collectives have confirmed their presence, and the French delegation will debut. This makes the content of the exhibition even more complete and exhaustive than it has been in the past. This is partially thanks to a strategic agreement signed with IPACK-IMA to promote PLAST, particularly among operators in the packaging sector, which will further increase the number of visitors. In this regard, the objective is certainly to match or exceed the numbers of the past edition.
The organizer is investing a great deal in communication and internationalization, and the intention is to be able to receive increasingly large and qualified delegations of buyers from some thirty nations.
Iranpolymer/ Baspar: Will there be other events in addition to the exhibition?
Filled with conferences, workshops, and exhibitor press conferences, the events calendar is still a work in progress but the organizers are working to offer participants many new and significant opportunities.
A new layout with demo areas equipped with operational processing lines and company presentation spaces will be developed.
In parallel, The Innovation Alliance, a partnership project between PLAST, IPACK-IMA, PRINT4ALL, and INTRALOGISTICA ITALIA, is working on a new concept. Considering the reworking of the trade fair calendar necessitated by the pandemic, the organizational offices are exploring a possible reinterpretation of the initiative, organizing it into different sections that address current themes and bridge all participating market segments, thus consolidating the message of unified value chain that underpins it.
Moreover, the organizers have confirmed the three satellite shows – dedicated to rubber (Rubber), additive manufacturing (3D Plast), and innovative polymers (Plast-Mat) – and thanks again to the support of ICE the Start-Up area will be present at the 2023 edition to highlight budding companies in the sector and the innovative solutions they propose.
Iranpolymer/ Baspar: What new technologies do you expect to be showcased by mega-companies? Does the exhibition have its own slogan?
PLAST 2023 will offer operators a broad and varied technology showcase, especially as regards the core of the exhibition, i.e., the machinery, auxiliaries, and moulds for plastics and rubber processing.
In keeping with previous editions, the content of PLAST 2023 will not be limited to machinery but range from innovative materials to cutting-edge production processes, and from high-tech finished products to personalized services.
Moreover, the solutions that will be proposed at PLAST 2023 – all addressing sustainability – will meet the needs of operators from all application sectors of the plastic and rubber industry: from packaging to automotive, from construction to electronics and medical equipment.
The initiative already has many different and very clear leitmotifs, the same ones that animate and inspire the work of a large slice of the industry and the business community, both within and outside of the sphere of plastics processing. On the one hand, there is the determination of the companies to act in an increasingly decisive manner as protagonists in international markets. On the other, inevitably, there is the need to pick up the pace of the green transition.
Along with energy savings and the circular economy, sustainability represents one of the fundamental themes not only in the plastics industry but for the entire international economy.
Last May Promaplast srl organized GREENPLAST, an exhibition-convention dedicated to sustainability of materials, technologies, and transformation processes for plastics and rubber. PLAST 2023 is preparing to host excellence in innovation in a green hue: from biologically derived, low-impact recycled materials to energy-saving systems to process bio-based and recycled polymers. And again: from innovative processes that make it possible to use a smaller amount of raw materials while maintaining a high level of performance to post-consumer plastics recovery, sorting, and recycling plants. Each section of the fair is strongly focused on these themes, which are certainly key elements in the events programme.
Iranpolymer/ Baspar: Do you think that online exhibitions are considered a threat to physical exhibitions?
Exhibitions aim to present the latest market trends, cutting-edge technologies and market information for the industry, focusing on hot topics and changes in market demand. Virtual shows allow exhibitors and visitors to explore local and overseas resources without time and geographical limitations and some international specialized organizers have been offering such experience especially during the pandemic, to overcome the travel restrictions.
However, the spirit of the exhibitions is to facilitate face-to-face meeting among operators, allowing them to “touch by hand” the latest novelties proposed by the manufacturers. Therefore, not by chance, as soon as restriction were lifted, people have re-started meeting in person on the occasion of trade shows. New methods to meet for quick talks have been explored but exhibitions will remain the preferred way for professional gathering and business discussing.
