PRESIDENTS’ MESSAGE     DECEMBER 2007

A Look At and Behind the Numbers

By most accounts the 2007 PROCESS EXPO was a very successful show.  The total visitor attendance of 23,864 was an increase of 10% over the 2005 combined PROCESS EXPO and PACK EXPO.  That increase is all the more remarkable given the competitive environment in October of 2007.  There were four shows within a three week period that were seeking to attract visitors from the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries.  We not only survived this "perfect storm" of tradeshows…we excelled.

Not surprisingly, California provided about 25% of the visitors to the event. However, the Midwest states occupied five positions in the top 10 states represented.

US ATTENDEES: TOP TEN STATES REPRESENTED

1.    California                      26.2%

2.    Illinois                            5.7%

3.    Texas                            5.3%

4.    Ohio                              4.7%

5.    Wisconsin                       3.2%

6.    Utah                              3.1%

7.    Nevada                           2.9%

8.    New York                        2.9%

9.    Minnesota                       2.8%

10.  Michigan                         2.7%

The Las Vegas venue continues to be a strong attraction for foreign visitors with 3,701 attending the 2007 event. Canada, Mexico, and China maintained their place in the top 3 foreign countries represented, but India moved into the fourth slot, displacing Japan. This is a positive sign for suppliers eager to tap the potential of the world’s second most populous country.

INTERNATIONAL ATTENDEES: TOP TEN COUNTRIES REPRESENTED

1.   Canada                            35%

2.   Mexico                             20%

3.   China                                6%

4.   India                               3.9%

5.   Japan                              3.7%

6.   Guatemala                        2.1%

7.   Germany                          1.7%

8.   Brazil                               1.6%

9.   Australia                          1.6%

10.  UK                                  1.4%

We were most pleased with the strong showing of the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical sectors. Below are those major sectors (note: visitors could select more than one sector as their areas of interest):

ATTENDEE AREAS OF INTEREST:

1.  Beverage:                           2595

2.  Bakery/Snack:                     2194

3.  Pharmaceutical/Medical:        1998

4.  Fruit and Vegetable:             1644

5.  Confection/Candy:               1254

6.  Meat/Poultry/Seafood:          1246

7.  Dairy:                                1142

8.  Grain/Milling/Cereal:              1020

9.  Produce, Fresh:                     731

While we can take comfort in the number of visitors, the real question exhibitors ask is, "do the decision-makers come to the show?"  The list below of the top 8 job titles reported gives a resounding "yes" to that question.

TOP JOB TITLES:

1.  Manager:                      1664

2.  Owner:                         1582

3.  President/CEO:               1581

4.  Packaging Engineer:        1132

5.  Project Manager:            1079

6.  Director:                       1078

7.  Vice President:              1008

8.  Plant Manager:                796

As we put the final touches on the wrap-up of the 2007 PROCESS EXPO, we are already well underway to the 2008 show, which will be held in the new West Building of McCormick Place next November.  Apparently exhibitors have perceived that '08 will be a special show, having contracted over 180,000 square feet of the available 200,000 square feet.  Did someone say "sold out?"

The challenge for your staff is to continue to attract, in numbers and in quality, the strongest representation of the food, beverage, and pharma industries, domestically and internationally.  We will be working with you to attract the customers you want to see.  You will see new and dramatic initiatives to bring the benefits of attending PROCESS EXPO to the greatest audience possible.  And, when we do this report next year, we are confident that we will again report that your tradeshow, PROCESS EXPO, was a resounding success.

We wish you the best for this Holiday season and for a successful 2008.

George Melnykovich

President and COO

Steve Schlegel

President and CEO