SPI NAMES FREEMAN AS NPE2009 SHOW CONTRACTOR, RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING NEW COST-SAVING PACKAGES FOR EXHIBITORS, Service Packages Are One of Many Innovations Planned to Benefit Exhibitors and Visitors at NPE2009 International Plastics Show

DÜSSELDORF, October 29, 2007—The Freeman Companies will be the official general contractor for the NPE2009 international plastics exposition, it was announced today by the sponsor of the triennial NPE shows, The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI). NPE2009 will take place June 22-26, 2009 at Chicago's McCormick Place.

SPI selected Freeman because of its capabilities for carrying out an innovative SPI program that will streamline planning, budgeting, and deployment for exhibiting companies and save them money, according to Gene Sanders, SPI vice president of trade shows. The program is one of a wide range of innovations planned for NPE2009, several of which SPI is announcing at K 2007 (Stand 13 / B59-18). Others include a vastly expanded educational program, multiple new-technology pavilions, a theater for showcasing new products, and a design competition (see accompanying releases).

''SPI has promised prospective NPE2009 exhibitors a simple plan to help reduce and forecast costs,'' Sanders said. ''As the largest provider of trade show-related services in the United States, Freeman will draw on extensive resources to carry out this plan, developing for each exhibitor a comprehensive service package tailored to such exhibit variables as size of space and weight of equipment.''

The general contractor for a trade show is responsible for drayage, decoration, carpeting, furnishing, signs, cleaning, and labor. ''Because exhibiting companies differ in their needs for these services and in the resulting costs, SPI will provide NPE2009 exhibitor with package plans that will meet their service needs,'' said Sanders.

In trade show parlance, ''drayage'' pertains to the moving of freight from the exposition center loading docks to exhibit booths and back again at the close of the show; and ''decoration'' involves installing, decorating, and dismantling exhibits. The workers which the general contractor engages for these and other booth services include teamsters, machinery movers, riggers, millwrights, and display laborers.

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Freeman is the world's leading provider of integrated services for face-to-face marketing events, including expositions, conventions, corporate events, and exhibits. The company is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has offices in 41 cities across North America. In 2006, Freeman produced over 3,900 expositions, including 100 of the largest 200 U.S. trade shows, and over 10,000 other events worldwide. Founded in 1927, the company remains privately held by the Freeman family as well as the full-time employee owners through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Visit www.freemanco.com.

The NPE 2009 international plastics exposition will take place June 22-26, 2009 at Chicago's McCormick Place. NPE 2006 attracted 1,838 exhibitors on 942,524 sq.ft. (87,600 sq. m) of net space; 33% of them came directly from outside the U.S. Of 64,438 industry professionals who registered to attend, 23% were internationals from 114 countries. For details on NPE, visit www.npe.org.

Founded in 1937, THE SOCIETY OF THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY, INC., (SPI) is the trade association representing the third-largest manufacturing industry in the United States. SPI's members represent the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw materials suppliers. The U.S. plastics industry employs 1.1 million workers and provides $379-billion in annual shipments. Visit SPI on the Web at www.plasticsindustry.org.