Event ProPak Asia 2010
Venue Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC)
Organiser Bangkok Exhibition Services (BES)
Attendees 30,650
Date June 16-19



The brief
This was the 10th instalment of ProPak Asia in Bangkok. Organisers were particularly keen to build attendance from the subcontinent.

Challenges
Some exhibitors and buyers were concerned about the civil unrest in Thailand that spanned the four months prior to the exhibition. “We reassured attendees with regular updates and information from the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB),” says David Aitken, managing director of Bangkok Exhibition Services (BES).

“Most exhibitors had local contacts who also kept them updated and we met with several Bangkok distributors who represent a number of suppliers.” Exhibitor Yoshiteru Wakabayashi of Japan says: “BES stayed in touch with us while the political crisis was happening and we never thought about cancelling our plans.

“The show is located away from affected areas and so many people were committed to it going ahead.”

Execution
ProPak Asia achieved a significant increase in attendance from South Asia. Trade visitors from India were up 173 per cent in 2009, with the highest number of pre-registrations from outside Thailand. Attendees from Pakistan increased by 54 per cent, Bangladesh rose by 19 per cent and Sri Lanka more than tripled.

Aitken says: “The number of local visitors also increased due to the growing enthusiasm among Thai manufacturers about improving their technology and efficiency, and staying updated on the latest trends in the processing, filling and packaging industry.”

There were 2,700 attendees in the conference sessions, which included a new Indian Business Forum.

Comment
Wakabayashi says: “Thailand is a very good market for us as the number of applications for our technology are rising alongside the quality of life for people living throughout Southeast Asia.

“Thailand is our biggest market, but India is becoming a big focus so it was good to see attendees from there.”