Society of Plastic Engineers’ ANTEC 2011 Event Has 31-percent Attendance Jump

The Society of Plastics Engineers’ ANTEC 2011 event, held May 1-5 in Boston, saw a 31-percent jump in attendance to 2,023, compared with last year’s annual technical conference event.

In addition, there were more international attendees and technical presentations than the 2010 event.

"The overall success of ANTEC 2011 reflected the gathering strength of the economy worldwide and continuing demand for the quality technical information that ANTEC provides," said Lesley Kyle, SPE director of event management.

She added, “That demand is global. International participants at last week's ANTEC came from 42 countries as various as Australia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates."

ANTEC 2011 included 108 topical sessions comprised of more than 700 presentations, with technical papers consisting of original content reviewed by industry peers, according to SPE officials.

Paper and presentation submissions were up 25 percent, compared with 2010, and student presentations hit a 10-year high.

During ANTEC’s three-day event, there also was an exhibit floor that featured 84 exhibitors.

"SPE has received consistently positive feedback on technical programming, networking opportunities, and the city of Boston as a venue," said Susan Oderwald, executive director of SPE.

She added, "We intend to build on that momentum as we prepare for ANTEC at NPE2012 which will be held in Orlando April 2-4 at the Orange County Convention Center."

Both ANTEC 2012 and the NPE trade show, organized by SPI – Society of Plastics Industry, will begin April 2.

In addition to the traditional conference sessions, SPE will organize poster sessions on the NPE showfloor in the South Hall of the OCCC.

“The vast range of polymer technology to be addressed at ANTEC will mirror the breadth of products and services exhibited at NPE, adding a new dimension of discovery for attendees and opening possibilities for synergy between conference room and show floor,” Oderwald said.