posted December 15, 2003 01:10 PM               

Plastics Encounter Southeast --
March 23-25, 2004, Charlotte, N.C. (at the Charlotte Convention Center);
Plastics Encounter Midwest --
June 22-24, 2004, Cleveland, Ohio (at the I-X Center, adjacent to Cleveland airport).

Both shows will include first-class conference and seminar programs, plus unique networking opportunities. At Charlotte, the Structural Plastics Division of the Society of the Plastics Industry, with the support of SPI's Southern Region, is co-locating its 32nd annual Structural Plastics Conference and new-product design competition with Plastics Encounter Southeast. Parts entered in the SPD's highly regarded competition will be displayed on the Plastics Encounter show floor. Contributing to the strong design presence will be the staging of the Industrial Designers Society of America's Southern District 2004 spring conference in Charlotte March 20-22, leading into the SPD event, followed by a one-day, Plastics News/IDSA design conference March 23.

The Charlotte event also will feature a moldmaking pavilion and a one-day moldmaking technical conference, organized by Communication Technologies Inc., owner of the MoldMaking Expo. In Cleveland, CTI will co-locate its MoldMaking Expo 2004 alongside Plastics Encounter, essentially doubling the size of the exhibition, and also stage its usual moldmaking technical conference. IDSA will again partner with Plastics News to co-present a design conference in Cleveland on June 23.

The Southeast and Midwest regions were picked for shows in 2004 because both areas have important concentrations of processing plants. North Carolina ranks eighth in the country in plastics shipments and the Midwest has higher industry employment and plastic product shipments than any other region.