It has to be said that it remains a special jewel in the deep portfolio of German exhibition organiser Messe Düsseldorf (www.messe-duesseldorf.de): "K 2013" once again demonstrated why it is the premier global event for the plastics industry, with 17 halls brimming full of innovation, new solutions and machinery, not to mention energetic and enthusiastic professionals from all over the world ready to sell, negotiate or simply discuss business during each and every one of the fair's eight days. Typically, expectations ran high in the weeks leading up to the triennial exhibition, and now, as K 2013 comes to an end, it can be written that this edition did not disappoint. Even the autumn weather played along. Though a little rainy and cloudy at the beginning, it became warmer and sunnier each day, casting a golden October sunlight over many of the outdoor food venues and open spaces dotting the fairgrounds and then later providing a marvelous full moon against a clear night sky as visitors left the halls each evening to attend company social events throughout the city.

At 218,000, the number of visitors remained stable in comparison with 2010. It might even prove in the final tally to be somewhere around 2,500 fewer visitors than three years ago, admitted exhibition head Werner M. Dornscheidt at the closing press conference on the morning of the final day of "K", but still no reason to be concerned as the profile of the visitors attending the event apparently has increased in terms of the professional level within an organisation. When the marketing professionals describe the "K" fair as a place where decisions are made, they apparently know what they are talking about; fair data indicates that two-thirds of all visitors in attendance represent either middle or top management from their respective organisations, with more than 50% responsible for investment decisions participating.

Thus, the more than 3,200 exhibitors could look forward to several concrete project queries, intensive negotiation rounds with industry visitors from all over the world and a remarkable number of somewhat spontaneous business transactions, among them quite a few 7-figure ones, noted Ulrich Reifenhäuser, chairman of the K 2013 exhibitors' council. "The magnitude of participants willing to commit to an investment at K 2013, is something that has caught us by surprise! We are confident of a strong post-K trade show business effect to occur over the coming weeks and we are now looking at continuing growth for our sector," commented a rather pleased Reifenhäuser, who also happens to be the CEO of the Reifenhäuser Group (Troisdorf; www.reifenhauser.com) as well as chairman of Germany's national engineering association for plastics and rubber machinery, the VDMA Kunststoff- und Gummimaschinen (Frankfurt; http://kug.vdma.org).

The assessment was echoed from all sectors at the exhibition and was equally voiced by exhibiting feedstock producers, converters and machinery manufacturers alike. And confirmation came from Germany's plastics converters association, the Gesamtverband Kunststoffverarbeitende Industrie (GKV, Bad Homburg; www.gkv.de) as well as the German producers' association, PlasticsEurope Deutschland (Frankfurt; www.plasticseurope.de).

"It could be said of the companies exhibiting here at Düsseldorf that they were at the right place at the right time in terms of meeting up with the 'perfect' visitor, who came with industry experience and competence, was in a position to make decisions and was ready to make future investments – what more could anyone ask for from the event?" Josef Ertl, chairman of PlasticsEurope Deutschland, asked happily.

It is quite clear to see that many companies located in the surrounding areas of Düsseldorf, which previously sent large numbers of production employees to the event, have been scaling back, Dornscheidt further explained. However, the increasing number of international decision-makers has more than made up for the trend. According to trade fair participants, the 2013 edition of "K" was anything but disappointing. A solid 96% in a representative survey, told exhibition organisers that they achieved their K 2013 goals – an extraordinarily high percentage to be sure.

The traditionally high percentage of international visitors climbed again over the 2010 numbers. Approximately 126,000 visitors or 58% of the overall total, were international industry professionals during the eight days of K 2013 in Düsseldorf. Well over 120 countries from all over the globe were present, a 20% jump over 2010 and a new record at that! The readiness of international guests to commit to investing in projects and products was extremely high, with one in two coming to Düsseldorf with intentions of making a purchase according to a survey conducted prior to attending K 2013, reported Dornscheidt.

Just about half of the visitors came from abroad. Some countries perhaps – Angola, Burkina Faso, the Falkland Islands, Yemen, Malawi, Nepal, New Caledonia, Peru and Turkmenistan – adding a touch of the exotic and certainly making the already colourful plastics palette a little more so with their presence. As should come as no surprise, the region with the highest percentage of internationational "K" fair participants was Asia – roughly 30,000 professionals from countries representing every corner of the vast geographic area. Once again, India had the most individuals travelling to Düsseldorf – more so, oddly, than visitors coming from neighbouring Netherlands. A significant increase was also seen in the number of industry professionals from China, Indonesia, Iran, Japan and Taiwan.

Gains were also made in the number of visitors from North America: The US and Canada accounted for roughly 8,100 registered participants, which is about 1,300 more than at K 2010. From Latin America, the figure was closed to 11,000, which was consistent with the figure of three years ago. In addition, the number of visitors from South Africa has also noticeably increased, with about 2,000 visitors coming from the African nation. Looking at European countries, the Dutch naturally dominated with 8,000 visitors followed by France, Belgium, the UK and Italy. As for the eastern half of the region, the growing number of individuals from Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary was also clearly visible throughout the Messe Düsseldorf fairgrounds.

As usual, machinery and plant engineering companies, with about 1,900 exhibitors, represented the largest industry segments in attendance at "K" and they were also the focus for the average fairgoer: close to two-thirds of the visitors surveyed said they came primarily to see the latest innovations from the two segments. Another 42% said they came with the goal of learning the latest from producers of feedstocks and additives, while 22% paid to get in for the opportunity to meet with manufacturers of semi-finished products as well as technical parts and components made of plastic and rubber.

In addition to sales and marketing colleagues manning a stand in Hall 6, the KI Group had an editorial team of 17 covering the mega event. The team represented Plasteurope.com, German-language KI as well as a new member, industry magazine K-PROFI (German). What we did not manage to publish during the eight long days of "K", will find its way online over the coming weeks. As anyone who has ever participated in a "K" fair can attest, every company had a story to tell, indeed.

The next "K" fair is in Düsseldorf / Germany, 19-26 October 2016.