Los Angeles, CA – Canon Communications moved into the Canadian market with the acquisition of three trade shows in the packaging and plastics industries in two separate transactions.
Canon acquired PACKEX, Canada’s leading event in the packaging sector, from the French organizer COMEXPOSIUM group and the Packaging Association of Canada. It also acquired Plast-Ex and EXPOPLAST from the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA).
Plast-Ex and PACKEX will be co-located at The Toronto Congress Centre beginning in May 2011. The CPIA said the event was projected at 1,100 exhibitors and approximately 150,000 net square feet of exhibit space.
Members of the CPIA staff will continue to be involved in the two shows. The association said the deal would free up resources for its communications efforts and lobbying on behalf of Canada’s plastics industry.
EXPOPLAST, a regional show held in Montreal, attracts around 200 exhibitors.
The acquisitions are Canon’s first ventures into Canada, a market that Canon says is a common venue for co-located trade shows. “Creating broad-based, geographically focused events is one of Canon’s core strengths,” said Kevin O’Keefe, senior vice president of Canon’s events division. “Plast-Ex and PACKEX Toronto will anchor the first plastics or packaging event in Canada that also contains automation, process technology, and design and manufacturing expositions as well.”
A master at building their brand, Canon won a Gold Grand Award in the category of “The Leading Brand” on September 24 at the Gold 100 Awards & Summit. Canon’s medical device brand includes ten shows worldwide under the Medical Design & Manufacturing and MEDTEC name.
Reach Kevin O’Keefe at (310) 445-4200 or kevin.okeefe@cancom.com
