Niche organiser Rapid News Communications Group has confirmed its intention to acquire triennial plastics exhibition Interplas from Reed Exhibitions.
 
The news follows the most recent instalment of Interplas, held at The NEC from 27 to 29 September 2011. Rapid organised the event on behalf of Reed alongside several of its own niche technical engineering shows. These included TCT Live and MM Live for the engineering industry, plus the launch events MEMs Live and Nano Live. The shows were co-located with Datateam Business Media’s Sensing Technology Exhibition.
 
Rapid’s Event Division MD Duncan Wood told EN this year’s Interplas attracted more than 8,500 visitors, while attendance at the organiser’s annual TCT Live was more than 5,000. Total attendance across all shows is being confirmed but expected to be more than 10,000.
 
In all, nearly 600 exhibitors participated in the conglomeration of exhibitions. 
 
“We have righted the ship that is Interplas and are committed to this purchase,” Wood said. “We have a contract in place with Reed and we hope to conclude the purchase in 2014. We are already starting work on the floorplan, which shows the degree of confidence we have in the show’s future and illustrates our commitment to the British plastics sector.”
 
“We hope to conclude the contract at the end of the next show in 2014. We are already starting work on the floorplan, which shows the degree of confidence we have in the show’s future and illustrates our commitment to the British plastics sector.”
 
In the absence of Interplas in 2012, Wood said its four smaller shows will go back from three to two days. They will be joined by Rapid’s debut Mediplas exhibition, which is focused on the medical plastics industry. The latest event comes off the back of Rapid’s new Medical Plastics News trade publication.

Wood expected Mediplas to attract up to 60 exhibitors and had scope to grow longer term. Following its success with Interplas, Rapid is also seeking to grow its own reputation as an exhibition organiser.
 
“Rapid has traditionally had a niche focus on shows with about 100 exhibitors and Interplas 2011 was thefirst time we’d run a show of that size with 300 exhibitors,” Wood explained. “Now that we have achieved that, we’ve really put our stake in the ground as an organiser of stature.”
 
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