Next Up for Canon: Canada

Canon Communications has made its U.S.-based manufacturing and processing shows a regional staple in the industrial sector.

Now, the company has cast its gaze north.

Canon recently announced the purchase of three Canadian plastics processing and packaging shows: Plast-Ex and Expoplast from the Canadian Plastics Industry Assn. and Packex from Paris-based Comexposium and the Packaging Assn. of Canada. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

“We do have a strong presence in supporting advanced manufacturing in the United States with our tradeshows. ... These two shows allow us to establish an operating base in Canada,” said Canon Communications CEO Charles McCurdy. “This is our first entrance into operating shows in Canada.”

Canon will collocate Plast-Ex and Packex in 2011. Both are staples on the Tradeshow Week Canadian 50, with triennial Plast-Ex ranking No. 19 and biennial Packex ranking No. 31 in 2008. Expoplast, a triennial show, is held in Montreal.

In the United States, Canon has several regional advanced manufacturing shows – such as Medical Design & Manufacturing East, Atlantic Design & Manufacturing Show, Plastec East, BioMeDevice East, EastPack, Automation Technology Expo East & Green Manufacturing Expo and 2009 TSW Fastest 50 winner MD&M West, Pacific Design & Manufacturing Show, Plastec West, WestPack, Electronics West, ATX West, Process Technology for Industry West & Green Manufacturing Expo – with plastics components, and McCurdy said the company's new shows in Canada would follow a similar path, with medical manufacturing, automation, process technology and other manufacturing components at the collocated event. It will be a jumping-off point to build an event similar to those held in the U.S., he added.

“Creating broad-based, geographically focused events is one of Canon's core strengths,” said Kevin O'Keefe, senior vice president of the company's events division. “As we have seen elsewhere, Canon's proven collocation strategy allows exhibitors to connect with more qualified attendees than they've been able to with shows held on their own.”

McCurdy said the associations will remain involved with the respective shows in the role of sponsors, also helping to attract attendees and generate conference content.

“It's important to find the ongoing relationship that the association will have with the tradeshow in a way that continues to strengthen the role of the association in the market,” he added.

The collocated shows also had similar metrics in the past. Plast-Ex, last held in May 2007, attracted 291 exhibitors and 5,000 professional attendees to a roughly 86,000 net square foot showfloor. The last edition of Packex in May attracted 285 exhibitors and 5,000 professional attendees to a 51,000 net sq. ft. showfloor, McCurdy said.

“There's some crossover from the exhibitor standpoint,” he added, making it more beneficial for attendees who might not have attended both shows in the past.

Nick Curci, president of Corporate Solutions, said this deal is a good example of those being accomplished in a difficult economy because of the types of shows being sold.

“It solidifies that the transactions that are happening today are more about restructuring than about growth, unfortunately,” he added.

It makes for great opportunities for buyers who are looking to grow in new markets, Curci said.