The fair organiser Messe Düsseldorf has just released the statistics of the sixteenth Interplastica exhibition, held in Moscow from January 29 to February 1, 2013, in conjunction with Upakovka/Upak Italia dedicated to packaging.
The results are very positive:  20,000 visitors, approximately 700 exhibitors (compared to 550 in 2012 and 583 in 2011) from 26 countries, distributed in three halls (Forum hall, halls 1 and 8) for a net exhibition surface of 13,000 square metres (11,400 and 11,500 in the two previous years).
National delegations from Austria, China, France, Germany, Portugal, United Kingdom and Taiwan and Italy were also present. There were about sixty companies from Italy in the exhibitors' list, with an additional 7 or 8 represented at the booths of their respective local agents. Again this year Assocomaplast (Italian Plastics and Rubber Processing Machinery and Moulds Manufacturers' Association) coordinated the Italian collective stand in hall 1 with 53 exhibitor companies, four fewer than in 2011, taking up an area of 1,100 square metres.
At the past editions, Russia was the country with the slowest recovery rate among BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) while in 2012 the local market instead showed positive signs and the request for quotations (and orders) rose considerably at the fair.
Istat figures relating to the first nine months of 2012 showed a 26.5% increase in Italian sales to Russia of machinery, equipment and moulds for plastic and rubber compared to the same period in 2011. Russia was confirmed, therefore, as the fifth largest destination market for Italian exports, having made a considerable leap forwards in terms of value: from 78  to 99 million euro.
The next Interplastic is scheduled from 28 to 31 January 2014, again in Moscow.