Conferences

Citation

(2007), "Conferences", Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 36 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/prt.2007.12936fac.002

Conferences

Conferences

American Coatings Show launched

The US National Paint & Coatings Association (NPCA) and Vincentz Network, publisher of international coatings journals and organizer of the European Coatings Show, have agreed to launch the American Coatings Show and, in conjunction with it, the American Coatings Conference. The American Coatings Show will have a bi- annual schedule, beginning in 2008, at a dedicated, fixed venue. Additional information on the event is available on the internet at www.american-coatings-show.com

Full Closing Report European Coatings Show 2007 plus adhesives, sealants, construction chemicals

New records for world's leading exhibition:

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  A total of 838 exhibitors and 22,791 trade visitors.

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  Some 750 participants from 45 countries at “Nürnberg Congress”.

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  Industries concerned still growing.

The European Coatings Show plus Adhesives, Sealants, Construction Chemicals took place again in the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg from 8-10 May 2007. This year, the world's leading exhibition for the production of high-grade, competitive coatings, paints, sealants, construction chemicals and adhesives and the associated Nürnberg Congress not only confirmed their leading role as international get-together for experts in the industries concerned in an extremely impressive way, but also expanded their position still further.

“All the big names in coatings and the related segments like adhesives and construction chemicals were present in Nuremberg this week to promote the future progress of the whole industry in the long term,” says a delighted Esther Schwencke, Head of Events Division at Vincentz Network. The European Coatings Show set new records again with 838 exhibitors (2005: 687) from 43 countries (2005: 36) and 22,791 trade visitors (2005: 19,886) from some 100 countries (2005: 87). “Compared with the previous event, this is 15 per cent more visitors and 22 per cent more exhibitors on 17 per cent more display space,” says Richard Krowoza, Exhibition Director at NürnbergMesse.

“Whether raw materials, laboratory and production equipment, testing and measuring equipment or services, nowhere else in the world is the range of products on display as extensive as in Nürnberg.

The internationality of the European Coatings Show has also distinctly increased again in terms of both exhibitors and visitors. The share of international exhibitors has risen from 57 per cent in 2005 to the present 60 per cent, which due to the appreciably larger total number of exhibitors has led to more growth of the international presence. The largest exhibiting nation after Germany was the People's Republic of China with 90 exhibitors, followed by Great Britain (60), The Netherlands (40), Italy (39) and France (34). The international share of visitors has risen from 56 per cent two years ago to the present 59 per cent. Besides Germany, the visitors came to Nürnberg mainly from Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Austria, Great Britain, France, the Czech Republic, Spain, Sweden and Belgium, but North America and Asia were also strongly represented.

All under one roof: Nürnberg Congress 2007

The Nürnberg Congress, which started on Monday, 7 May 2007, was also convincing in every respect: altogether 748 experts from 45 countries used the Nürnberg Congress to find out what the industry has to offer and gather inspiration for their own innovations. More than 150 scientists from companies, institutes and universities all over the world were available to brief their audience on the latest research findings and answer practical questions.

The congress programme contained twelve sessions on coating raw materials, six sessions on printing inks, adhesives and construction chemicals, four sessions on process and production equipment and testing and measuring equipment, and three special sessions on the important issues of licensing and technology transfer, raw material purchasing, and REACH and its consequences. Compared with 2005, all the scientific fields involving coatings, paints, adhesives, construction chemicals and printing inks were combined under the common roof of the Nürnberg Congress in 2007, which now covers all the formulation subjects relevant to ECS.

In addition to the programme offered by the Nürnberg Congress, products and services were also presented for European Coatings Show visitors at the around 160 presentations given by exhibitors at three forums at the centre of exhibition activity. All those interested could source information specifically or in passing and then intensify talks on the exhibition stands.

High degree of satisfaction among exhibitors and visitors

The European Coatings Show improved its position as the industry's top event among exhibitors and visitors yet again. For example, 96 per cent of the companies were satisfied with the overall success of their exhibiting activities and 98 per cent of the visitors were satisfied with the products and services at the exhibition.

The product segments were dominated by coating raw materials with 53 per cent, followed by printing ink raw materials (26 per cent), adhesive raw materials (20 per cent) and laboratory and production equipment (17 per cent), plus intermediates for construction chemicals, services, testing and measuring equipment, application equipment, environmental protection and safety at work (multiple answers possible).

The primary aims of exhibiting for most exhibitors was to win new customers, provide information about their range of products and services and representation – well over 90 per cent of them achieved all these aims. About 96 per cent of the exhibitors were satisfied with the qualifications and professional competence of the visitors and just as many reached their key target groups at the European Coatings Show 2007. “Despite all the modern communication media, we think there is no substitute for personal contact with customers at the exhibition,” says Dr. Hans-Peter Schaufler, President Business Unit Coatings & Colorants, Degussa GmbH.

Nine out of ten exhibitors were able to make new business connections from the highly qualified contacts and around one third received direct orders during the exhibition. About 87 per cent of the companies also expect follow-up business. More than 90 per cent of the exhibitors rated the European Coatings Show as an important to outstanding part of their marketing and sales activities and more than three quarters of them have already firmly decided to be there in Nürnberg again in 2009. “The contacts we have built up here over the years are increasingly developing into a global network,” said Hans-Jürgen Denu, BASF Aktiengesellschaft, during the European Coatings Show.

More than 60 per cent of the visitors also decided during the 2007 event that they would come to the European Coatings Show again in 2009. About 55 per cent of those interviewed said this exhibition is the only one they visit in this field – no wonder, as 98 per cent of them are satisfied with the opportunities for information and contact on the exhibition stands. Atilla Discioglu, President of BOSAD, the paint industry association in Turkey, is convinced: “a visit to the European Coatings Show is the best and easiest way to obtain information about the most innovative technologies”.

The main reasons stated for visiting the exhibition were obtaining information about new products (61 per cent), exchanging views (43 per cent), cultivating contacts (42 per cent) and general market orientation (41 per cent) (multiple answers possible). Nine out of ten visitors at the European Coatings Show 2007 are involved in purchasing and procurement decisions in their company and one-third decisively influence these decisions. The visitors came mainly from the industry with 76 per cent. The largest groups of visitors were from formulators of paints and coatings (40 per cent), raw material suppliers (27 per cent) and formulators of construction chemicals (12 per cent), adhesives and sealants (11 per cent) and printing inks (10 per cent). About 55 per cent of the visitors work in the research and development department of their company, 22 per cent in management, 12 per cent in purchasing and production and 11 per cent in quality control (multiple answers possible).

Prize-winners: European Coatings Award 2007

This year's European Coatings Award for the best congress paper, which is sponsored by the European Coatings Journal, was presented to Dr Rolf Dersch and his team from BASF AG. Dr Dersch received the exclusively designed research award and the associated cheque for e2,000 at the congress opening ceremony. The jury thought his paper entitled “Water-based hybrid for high gloss utilizing structural principles of solvent-based alkyds” was especially pioneering: “coating formulations using the new binder can already fulfil tomorrow's environmental regulations today”.

Future driving force: growing demand for constantly new ideas

Exhibitors and visitors at the European Coatings Show 2007 unanimously rated the economic situation in the industry as optimistic: eight out of ten interviewees see a rising tendency. The number of new products or improvements at the European Coatings Show was accordingly large: 84 per cent of the companies had such products in their range at the exhibition.

A survey among the participants at the Nürnberg Congress shows that the companies' worldwide research & development departments are driven mainly by two factors: the market demand for better performance and the technology push through innovative materials. More than half of the interviewees stated these two items together as priority, followed by statutory regulations and cheaper prices.

The next European Coatings Show in the cycle takes place in the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg from 31 March-2 April 2009.