Informex Announces Record Booking Levels for 2011 Event

PRINCETON, N.J., March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Informex Show Management today announced record re-booking levels for its 2011 event, with 56% of exhibitors signing up at the show and many upgrading to larger booths.

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In total, 211 exhibitors have booked for InformexUSA 2011, which will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina, from February 7-10, 2011. Reflecting renewed optimism throughout the high-value chemical markets, the figures represent an increase of 54% over re-bookings taken on site at the 2009 show. Johnson Matthey, Saltigo, Dottikon, InCon Processing, and Cherokee Pharma were among the exhibitors booking larger booths to expand their presence in 2011.

"While verified on-site attendance remained virtually identical to last year at c. 3500, there was a much stronger sense of optimism and confidence throughout the event," commented UBM/Informex Brand Director Jennifer Jessup. "Exhibitors reported big increases in walk up traffic, deals were being made and projects pursued, whereas last year much activity was put on hold due to economic uncertainty."

The positive atmosphere was endorsed by exhibitor Dr. Garrett Dilley, Senior Director of Business Development for AMRI, who commented,

"We are very pleased with the positive signs we are seeing toward an increase in outsourcing in 2010 and beyond.  Informex continues to play an integral role in positioning buyers and sellers to have their finger on the pulse of this upward trend by providing a valuable forum to come together."

Looking towards 2011, Jessup said, "The move to Charlotte is proving very popular and was designed to make the event more cost-effective and easier to travel to than San Francisco.  Booth costs, material handling, electrical and labor costs are on average 40% less than they are in San Francisco, while hotel accommodation is around 25 % cheaper."

"While walking the trade show floor, it was apparent that exhibitors this year evoked a more upbeat perspective on the state of the batch, custom and specialty chemical industry," said SOCMA President and CEO Lawrence D. Sloan. "Exhibitors were able to successfully leverage the event to meet with multiple clients over the course of the three-day show. We look forward to Informex returning to the East Coast, which should garner strong attendance by all accounts."

The Informex Management team is also planning many quality networking opportunities in a city that will be new to many of the exhibitors and visitors. The Informex Gala Dinner will be re-launched for 2011. The original event, in 2008, featured Colin Powell as the keynote speaker and attracted over 650 guests.  Along with the Gala Dinner, each night during the show there will be an opportunity for attendees and exhibitors to network with a variety of evening receptions.

UBM International Media is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Business Media plc (LSE: UBM) a leading provider of business information services to the maritime, travel, fashion, technology, healthcare, media, and property industries. UBM offers services in trade shows, online, news distribution, and publishing to customers across the globe. Its brands are represented in more than 30 countries and are organized into specialist teams that serve their business communities helping them excel in their market by working effectively and efficiently. For more information, go to www.unitedbusinessmedia.com.

About Informex - Organized by UBM International Media, Informex is the leading meeting place for buyers and sellers of high-value chemistry for a broad range of applications. As the leading fine chemical tradeshow in the United States, InformexUSA has been a marketplace for networking and doing business in the fine, custom and specialty chemical manufacturing industry for more than 26 years. Informex is produced in conjunction with SOCMA, and the event brings significant value both to SOCMA (www.socma.com) and its members. For more information, visit www.informex.com.

SOURCE Informex