Expands Global Gate Portfolio for Plastics and Rubber
On December 30, 2020, Messe Düsseldorf and Corferias (the International Business and Exhibition Center of Bogota) signed an agreement with Acoplasticos (Asociación Colombiana de Industrias Plásticas) to purchase a share of and jointly organize COLOMBIAPLAST, one of the most important international tra
de fair for the plastics, rubber, petrochemical and packaging industry in the LatAm region. Accordingly, Messe Düsseldorf—through its subsidiary Messe Düsseldorf North America (Chicago)—acquires an equal share in COLOMBIAPLAST and becomes involved in organizing the event.
Messe Düsseldorf is renowned as the organizer of K, The World’s No.1 Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber, held every three years in Düsseldorf, Germany. With this agreement, Messe Düsseldorf adds COLOMBIAPLAST to its “Global Gate” portfolio of plastics and rubber trade fairs. Messe Düsseldorf’s expertise in organizing plastics and rubber trade fairs around the world together with its extensive network of sales offices and subsidiaries in 141 countries will increase international participation at COLOMBIAPLAST and help to grow the tradeshow. The next edition is scheduled for June 22-25 at 
Corferias in Bogota, Colombia.
“We are excited to welcome COLOMBIAPLAST into our “Global Gate” portfolio,” says Erhard Wienkamp (pictured right), managing director Messe Düsseldorf. “Colombia is one of the fastest growing markets for plastics technology in Latin America and COLOMBIAPLAST is the most important trade fair here. It is vital for us to show our commitment in this market, and with this acquisition we take on our first venture in plastics and rubber in South America.”
Daniel Mitchell (pictured left), president of Acoplasticos, adds, “We are very pleased to announce this partnership. With the global know-how and experience of Messe Dusseldorf and the regional leadership of Corferias, we are convinced that COLOMBIAPLAST will substantially strengthen its position as a leading plastics and rubber trade fair in Latin America—a region with great potential.”
“Corferias is convinced that with the valuable support and knowledge of Messe Düsseldorf we will achieve our great objective of making COLOMBIAPLAST the first HUB trade fair of the sector in Latin America and allow entrepreneurs in the region to find in Colombia a strengthened business platform with access and coverage of the emerging market, discovering technological innovations and industry trends,” says Andrés Lopez Valderrama, president of Corferias (pictured right). “May this be a new opportunity to continue strengthening our international alliances.”
With nearly 50 million inhabitants Colombia is the world’s third largest Spanish-speaking country and the region’s fourth largest economy measured by GDP. Colombia imports machinery, parts and molds for plastics processing worth about $ 100 million and the plastics sector represents 15 percent of the country’s manufacturing GDP. The consumption of plastics in the country exceeds 1.3 million tons annually.
When last held in 2018, COLOMBIAPLAST featured 172 national and international exhibitors on 4,900 square meters net exhibition space and attracted more than 43,000 visitors (includes attendees at the concurrently held FIB—International Industrial Trade Fair of Bogota). In addition to companies from Colombia and the surrounding region, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain and the U.S., exhibitors from Brazil, China, Taiwan and Qatar participated for the first time.
For more info on visiting or exhibiting at COLOMBIAPLAST 2021, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America; telephone: (312) 781-5180; e-mail: aduering@mdna.com; visit www.eng.colombiaplast.org/, www.k-globalgate.com and www.mdna.com; or follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mdnachicago
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