The 2015 Chem Show, held November 17 to 19 at the Javits Center in New York, welcomed 5,170 registered attendees at the chemical process industries’ (CPI) leading event for processing technology.

Thousands of engineers, R&D, corporate managers and plant personnel from chemical, pharmaceutical, food and other process industries interacted with the Show’s 282 exhibitors, capitalized on a wide scope of free seminars, and joined the 100-year celebration of the Chem Show’s history as a staple event for the North American CPI.

Additionally, for the first time at the Show, the Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering Achievement Award was presented by the Chem Show’s longest standing exhibitor, Chemical Engineering Magazine.  The 2015 Award went to Dow Performance Plastics for its INTUNE Olefin Block Copolymers. This technology makes the blending of two previously unmixable polymers, polyethylene and polypropylene, possible through use of parts-per-million levels of catalyst at very specific temperatures.

“Dow has taken OBCs from academic curiosities to successfully commercialized polymers,” said Gerald Ondrey, senior editor at Chemical Engineering, of the winning technology. “Numerous engineering challenges were overcome in matching the kinetics, efficiency, copolymerization behavior and reversible chain shuttling within controlled reaction environments.”

Additionally, the Show introduced a new “best practices” seminar program that was offered free to all attendees. Industry experts spoke to key and critical issues faced by today’s chemical processing market, linking strategies and solutions to products and services seen on the Show floor.

“We are incredibly pleased with the enthusiastic feedback we have received from seminar attendees,” said Clay Stevens, president of International Exposition Company. “The free seminars and other educational opportunities drew over 600 people and were extremely well-received. We’re already planning more meeting rooms at the 2017 Show to accommodate for an even larger program.”

Barry Perlmutter, president and managing director of BHS-Sonthofen Inc., who led one of the educational programs, underscored the success of the expanded offering of seminars, as well as attendees’ no-cost access to them.

“Our seminar had about 70 attendees, many of whom came to our booth afterwards,” said Perlmutter.  “The seminars really drive people to booths to learn more, which in turn allows us to establish new relationships.  I would love to see more of these programs at future shows.”

Both long-standing exhibitors and those experiencing the Chem Show for the first time echoed similar sentiments regarding its value as a premier networking event for CPI professionals.

“I was 14 years old when I attended my first Chem Show, along with my father, who started exhibiting with his company Roper Pump back in 1970,” said Larry Shanley, President at Shanley Pump and Equipment, Inc.  “I’m consistently impressed with the outcomes of this show, and have seen my own business grow and flourish in alignment with its history.  I exhibited on my own for the first time at 19, back when the Chem Show was held at the Coliseum in Columbus Circle.”

Shanley further shared, “My 1991 show participation and a subsequent visit to the Statue of Liberty even inspired the name of my newest company at the time, Liberty Process Equipment, which now represents 60 percent of the business I do today.  This isn’t a place for tire kickers or wasted time in any way, and I’m very pleased with the quality of leads that have come out of this Show, year after year.”

Joe Bevacqua, vice president at Wyssmont, happily recounted a history with the Chem Show that began back in 1965.  “I’ve only missed one Show since then, and every year we’ve attended has been great,” Bevacqua said.  “Over the years things have undoubtedly changed along with shifts in the industry at-large – there isn’t the big equipment anymore, and it’s become a more intimate event.  That said, seeing people at this Show year after year is still invaluable – it gets me away from my desk to concentrate on the new and long-standing relationships that keep us coming back to this same booth space every time.  Our customers love to see and engage with us here, and I’ve been proud to be part of the Show’s growth, including by serving on its advisory committee.”

As a 26-year exhibiting company, Plast-O-Matic Valves, Inc. similarly echoes the long-standing value of the Chem Show.

“Over the years we’ve maintained our consistent investment in this Show, and have even planned our national sales meeting in nearby New Jersey around the timing of it,” said Anthony Hernandez, the company’s Eastern regional manager.  “Networking is such a big part of this industry, especially as business shifts and technology changes.  We’ve looked at this as a key venue for being and staying noticed, as well as keeping abreast of the competition.  This year we’re using the Chem Show as a launch pad for several new developments, including control packages, a line of sanitary connections, and new switches and gauges.  It’s a really important place for us to be.”

Both AALBORG Instruments and Controls, Inc. and TEMA Systems Inc. shared similar stories on their return to the Chem Show following their last exhibition after September 11 in the fall of 2001.

“We’ve experienced immediate assurance that coming back to the Show after a tough few years in our country and our industry was the right move for us,” said AALBORG’s engineering manager, T.J. Baan.  “Even in just the first few hours of the Show’s opening, we’ve gotten some great leads, aligning with our goal of making the right connections here that will help kick off an expanded export strategy for next year.”

“We’re happy to be back at the Show after 2001, and are definitely having the worthwhile conversations we’d hoped to in further expanding awareness of our U.S. presence and manufacturing capabilities,” said Chad Mendelsohn, Cincinnati-based sales manager for chemical centrifuges at TEMA Systems.  “As a company we sell big capital equipment, and thus need to participate in events that generate the right kind of leads – the Chem Show is definitely that kind of event, and a great place to see customers and network with new business connections.”

Hardik Shah, director of international business, of India-headquartered HI-Tech Applicator explained that exhibiting at this year’s Chem Show marked the company’s first effort in reaching the U.S. market.

“We are looking to establish a distribution network in the U.S., and in realizing that not everyone will be able to see our products in India, the Chem Show was identified as the ideal place to launch this effort,” Hardik said.  “We hope to establish credibility and confidence by participating in this Show, and anticipate an ongoing presence at the Chem Show in years to come.”

Other first-time Chem Show exhibitors, like Anton Paar technical sales representative Brian Walsh, are already making plans to return in 2017.

“I’ve already told my boss we would be foolish not to be here in the future,” said Walsh. “This is far and away the best show for reaching our target audience in the petroleum and petrochemical field in the region. I would consider it a great use of time and money and would like to see it become the most important show for Anton Paar.”

Bill Mundie, sales representative for Impreglon, Inc., shared the value he saw from the Chem Show in how it targeted their niche in the market.

“I appreciate a more focused show,” explained Mundie. “It’s a perfect platform to strengthen our relationships with existing clients while establishing new relationships with potential customers. The Chem Show knows our needs as exhibitors and they do a great job of fulfilling them.”

“It’s not a huge show, but there is definitely something to be said about the assortment of the crowd here,” said Shane Shoemaker, sales engineer at Festo Corporation, who commented on the value of a small yet diverse show, and remarked on the great variety of exhibiting companies that supply the CPI with equipment and products.

“I view this as an opportunity for the regional industry to be together,” Shoemaker said. “I enjoy hearing about the experiences of someone in the opposite corner of the industry, someone I may not otherwise have a chance to talk to. Additionally, a diverse show is good for us because we really stand out as a control and automation company.”

With 2015 marking the Chem Show’s 100th anniversary, numerous photo displays were placed throughout the exhibit floor illustrating the event’s rich history.  Long-standing attendees and exhibitors like Quentin Avery, global senior product manager at FLSmidth, Inc., were eager to share their excitement and nostalgia about the Show’s history.

“My father worked for Shriver for 50 years, and it certainly makes me proud to have found a photo of one of the company’s first filter press models from 1918 incorporated among the anniversary displays,” Avery said. Shriver began manufacturing liquid-solid filter presses in 1901, and has since become known for its durable, low-maintenance and user-friendly machinery, of which FLSmidth is a distributor.

The Chem Show, a biennial exhibition held in New York, also announced that the 2017 Show will take place again at the Javits Center from October 31 to November 2.  For more information, visit chemshow.com.

About Chem Show

The Chem Show began in 1915 in New York City as a way to stimulate the domestic manufacturing of chemicals and dyes. Since then, it has grown into the main event for processing technology, welcoming thousands of professionals from all segments of the CPI as they seek ways to optimize their process operations. The Show offers a unique forum for leading manufacturers and suppliers to demonstrate their latest equipment, systems and products. The biennial Chem Show draws nearly 300 exhibitors and a total attendance of more than 5,000, coming from throughout the U.S. and several countries.

About International Exposition Company, Inc. (IEC)

International Exposition Company (IEC) is a Westport, Conn.-based trade show management company. For more than 100 years, the company has built its reputation on a track record of honesty, respect and fairness for exhibiting companies and show attendees. IEC owns and manages three major trade show events; the annual AHR Expo (International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition), the biennial AHR Expo-Mexico, and the biennial Chem Show. Attendance across the three events totals in excess of 70,000.