Chinaplas 2018 Sets Attendance, Space Records at New Venue

Held April 24-27 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Shanghai, Chinaplas 2018 saw 180,701 attendees pass through its turnstiles with 47,900 of those hailing from 150 different countries and regions, according to show organizer Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd. The show set new records for attendance—up 16.4% from last year’s event in Guangzhou—as well as exhibit space.

In terms of gross hall capacity in square meters, the NECC trails only Germany’s Hannover Exhibition Center in size globally (460,000 m² vs 400,000 m²). Chinaplas 2018 put that larger space to use, adding 100,000-m² (over 1 million square feet) in exhibition area compared to the most recent Chinaplas in Shanghai in 2016. The show covered a total of 340,000-m² (3.659 million ft²). A total of 3,948 exhibitors were on hand.

Adsale noted that starting in 2012 the annual show, which rotates between Shanghai and Guangzhou, had struggled with space issues in Shanghai years. In 2016 when it was held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center in Pudong, the show completely filled that center’s indoor exhibition halls and was forced to locate overflow exhibitors in temporary tents outside the show floor. Adsale, which marked its 40^th anniversary at the show, spent the last two years readying Chinaplas to transition to the new, larger venue. Chinaplas 2019 will rotate to back to Guangzhou in 2019, running from May 21- 24.