Milwaukee will host the annual joint Plastics Encounters and ANTEC conference and trade show May 4-8 at the Midwest Airlines Center, 411 W. Wisconsin Ave. Plastics manufacturing is the fourth-largest industry in the state – employing 46,000 people and shipping more than $11 billion in thermoformed, injection molded, extruded and rotational molded products. More than 200 plastic manufacturers are based in southeastern Wisconsin, the highest concentration in the state. The large number of plastic manufacturers in the area, along with an active chapter of the Society of Plastics Engineers, made the city a good candidate to host the convention, said Lesley Kyle, senior event manager with the Society of Plastics Engineers.
"It’s a really good because of the local support we have and also when you view the plastics industry in Milwaukee and Wisconsin and within a reasonable drive to Milwaukee," Kyle said. "And Milwaukee has so many things to do, restaurants and cultural events. It’s also close to Chicago for people who want to stay another couple of days. And it’s affordable." The show combined the annual Plastics Encounters and ANTEC shows for the first time last year, when it was held in Cincinnati, Ohio. Last year’s event drew about 3,500 attendees, which Kyle expects to match this year.
The Plastics Encounters trade show element of the program, running May 5-8, will feature more than 200 different regional, national and global plastics firms, Kyle said. The ANTEC conference will feature more than 120 sessions and seminars dealing with plastics production, marketing and management. Exhibitors at this year’s event include BASF SE, Bemis Manufacturing Co., Canon, MGS Manufacturing Group, Milacron Inc., and Xaloy Inc.
While the Plastics Encounters trade show element generally draws a regional crowd, the ANTEC show draws a significant amount of its audience from overseas, Kyle said. "Thirty to 35 percent of the ANTEC attendees are international, because so much of that work has gone to Europe and Asia," she said. "And most of the Asian companies don’t have the training that we have here in the U.S." Admission for only the three-day trade show is $40. Admission to the ANTEC portion of the show runs from $555 to $985, depending on the number of days and membership status with the Society of Plastics Engineers.
For more information, visit the Plastics Encounters web site. To register, click here.
