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“Relationships have always been the pillar of the trade fair.”

– Over the past 30 years, Plastpol has come a long way  - today the event has no competition in this part of Europe as it attracts global machine manufacturers, suppliers of raw materials, and innovative solutions. The anniversary show offers an opportunity to celebrate three decades of industry involvement, says Kamil Perz, Plastpol project director. – Relationships have always been the pillar of the trade fair, as they serve as a springboard to develop this project for 30 years now. This was Henryk Zawistowski’s mission - the pioneer and mentor in the plastics industry, a technological authority who was considered the “spiritual guide” of the industry.

He was one of the most outstanding Polish specialists in plastics processing, valued in the European community. He saw Plastpol as a meeting of all industry components, including companies, scientific institutes, industry organisations, and customers from various sectors of the economy. 

Nearly 50 companies participated in the first trade fair on 23-25 October 1997. – The then fellowship included organisations and companies that are actually the founders of the Plastpol expo -  Pack, Danje – Polymer, Representative House - today's Engel, Elektromech – today Muehsam, FCPK Bytów – today ProPlastica, KGL Corporation, Gliwice Metalchem – today ICHEMAD – Profarb, OBRMiCH Metalchem from Toruń, today owned by the Łukasiewicz Research Network, Milar, Polimarky, Vadim – Plast, WEP – today’s Telko, and also Polish Union of Plastics Converters with the then office director and today a member of the Supervisory Board Wojciech Filek and of course Plastech Plastics Processing Techniques Plant with Henryk Zawistowski at the forefront – emphasises Kamil Perz. – They trusted us, i.e., the organisers, took the risk of participating in the first expo and have been loyal to us from the beginning of the project, effectively influencing the implementation of the mission, he emphasises.

"An extremely developing industry" 

From its premiere, great hopes were attached to this trade fair, and it was already predicted that it would have a significant impact on the industry's development. The regional Słowo Ludu daily reads:

The idea of organising a specialised plastics processing trade fair was born in Kielce. Still, the Bydgoszcz-based Pomerania and Kujawy Fair proved quicker to implement, having already organised the country's first event of this type. No similar fairs have been held in the capital city; the first undertaking of this kind of event will be available in Warsaw next autumn.

Competition is growing because the industry is also very dynamic.
— The industry turnover, which is difficult to estimate precisely, is estimated at $3 billion annually. The financial situation is improving every year, says Wojciech Filek, director of the office of the Association of Plastics Converters, which is the patron of the Kielce event alongside the Polish Chamber of Chemical Industry, and, personally, the vice-rector of the Warsaw University of Technology, Prof. Władysław Włosiński. The trade fair will include a scientific and technical seminar offered by the Warsaw-based company Plastech.

Today’s expo is larger in every respect - 600 exhibitors from 30 countries occupy seven exhibition halls. The plastic and rubber products market in 2024 was estimated at approximately USD 1,467.8 billion, and the plastics market itself at USD 647.36 billion.

The premiere of the Plastpol trade fair in the press

We're reviewing the first editorials on the trade fair, published by Słowo Ludu, a regional daily newspaper based in Kielce; Kielecki Przegląd Targowy [Kielce Fair Review], published by the Kielce Exhibition Center on Plastpol; and Gazeta na Plastpol, published by Gazeta Wyborcza specifically for the event. See also the list of exhibitors from that time and the hall floor plan, which hosted 50 exhibitors from 10 countries, including Poland, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, and France.