The Plastics Show is back, and more sustainable than ever

After a six-year hiatus, NPE2024: The Plastics Show promises a triumphant return of the classic industry tradeshow, featuring educational and networking events alongside the latest developments in plastics.

NPE has sponsored this post.

(Image: NPE.)

(Image: NPE.)

Ask any engineer over 40 about where they met their best suppliers, contacts or customers and the answer you’ll most likely get is “at a tradeshow.” That’s because, for decades, tradeshows have been bringing engineers from across entire industries together in one place to network and exchange information. The COVID pandemic has changed that: with virtual events becoming normalized, many young engineers mostly know their industry contacts as faces on video calls.

Is that really enough?

“Relationships in this industry matter,” says Glenn Anderson, chief operating officer for The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS). “The ability to kick the tires and touch the equipment to see how it all works together—that’s huge. And you cannot learn that over a zoom call or a webinar.”

This is what makes the return of NPE2024: The Plastics Show after a six-year hiatus so exciting. And yet, it’s also the source of one of the biggest challenges for the event and the plastics industry as a whole.

NPE then and now

The first plastics show was held all the way back in 1946 at Grand Central Palace in New York City. As Anderson explains, although it aimed for the same broad industry representation as NPE today, it was only a fraction of the size. “In 1946, we had just under 25,000 square feet of exhibit space, with 164 exhibits, primarily in 10×10 booths. We’ve gone from that to this year, where exhibitors have purchased over 1.1 million square feet of show space—and 10×10 is the smallest booth you can get.”

The first NPE was also the only one open to the general public and, according to Anderson, it was hugely popular at the time. “They actually had to limit the number of people that were allowed in because of the fire marshal,” he adds.  NPE is still one of the biggest events in the industry: the last plastics show in 2018 had more than 55,000 registered attendees from approximately 19,000 companies.

(Image: NPE.)

(Image: NPE.)

Unfortunately, NPE2021 was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic and because it’s a triennial event, there hasn’t been a Plastics Show since 2018. That puts a lot of pressure on this year’s show to come back with a bang, but it also means that NPE2024: The Plastics Show will need to reflect changes in the industry over the last six years.

The state of plastics in 2024

We’ve been hearing about the impending skills gap in manufacturing for years and it’s likely to be an ongoing problem for the foreseeable future. Looking at the plastics industry over the past six years paints a similar picture. “It’s very clear to us that many of those who attended NPE2018 are no longer in the workforce,” says Anderson, “whether they’ve moved on to different industries or simply aged out of their profession.”

The plastics industry needs fresh talent, and The Plastics Show aims to be a major convening for the best of the best.

What does that mean for an industry event in 2024?

For one thing, it means providing lots of opportunities for education. The Plastics Industry Association has announced that there will be more than 100 educational sessions and 60 industry speakers at NPE2024: The Plastics Show. Anderson notes that these cover multiple verticals across the plastics industry, including automotive, building and construction, consumer packaging and medical. “If you’re specific to a portion of the industry, you can focus on the details within that sector,” he says. “It’s not just a broad brush.”

(Image: NPE.)

(Image: NPE.)

Perhaps the biggest advantage in-person events have over virtual ones is in networking. No matter how creatively they’re packaged or presented, coffee breaks, group activities and one-on-ones just don’t have the same impact or staying power when they’re conducted over a video call. We attend industry events to meet people, and NPE2024: The Plastics Show recognizes that with a new addition to the first night of The Plastics Show: a welcome party.

“For the first time in the history of the show, we’re hosting an opening party on Monday night,” says Anderson. “We anticipate 2,500-3,000 people will attend that party; it’s meant to be an invigorating icebreaker. Besides meeting people, it’s also an opportunity to get acclimated, and feel good about navigating the trade show. If you come to a show like this without a plan, the likelihood of you covering it efficiently isn’t very high because of so much technology to see and so many conversations to be had.”

Sustainability in plastics

On the subject of technology, there’s obviously been plenty of development over the past six years to showcase at NPE2024: The Plastics Show. As an example, Anderson cited a partnership with German-based VDMA on a demonstration using connected machinery at the show. “It captures all of the relevant processing data, whether it’s pounds coming into the machine or the pounds being produced out of the machine, and the melt temperature from pellet to finished product,” he explains.

Beyond new technologies, one of the biggest themes this year is, not surprisingly, sustainability. Anderson frames it as both a challenge and an opportunity for the industry. “We have a saying: we love plastic, and we hate plastic waste.” Part of the challenge comes down to messaging, in the sense that plastic is often seen as less environmentally friendly than glass, metal or wood, even when a full analysis of their environmental impacts puts plastic ahead.

Of course, the best way to demonstrate sustainability in plastics is to see the full product lifecycle play out, and that’s essentially what’s on display at NPE2024. The previous Plastics Show—NPE2018—saw 89% of the material used at the event collected and diverted from landfills. According to Anderson, the goal for 2024 is to get to 100%, which includes not only what’s used in demonstrations on the show floor, but also the plastic materials used to ship assets to and from the show.

“We have a recycling center in between the major buildings that has two purposes,” he explains. “First and foremost is reducing all of the product that’s coming in to make it easier to ship out for reuse, but it also serves as an exhibit. Attendees can come in and see exactly how we’re working towards sustainability, recycling and the circular economy—all of those are incorporated into many different facets of what we’re presenting starting on May 6th.”

NPE2024 – It’s about time

The return of an event after a six-year hiatus should be enough to make it worth attending, but there’s more to NPE2024: The Plastics Show than that. ‘Sustainability’ is clearly the watchword of the event, addressing challenges that seem to become more pressing with each passing year. Coming together through commerce and community can help the next generation of engineers face those challenges by connecting them with the knowledge and wisdom of the old guard.

Besides, who doesn’t love a good party?

Register for NPE2024: The Plastics Show happening May 6-10 in Orlando, FL.