InformexUSA Survey Shows Chemical Industry Remains Optimistic on the Prospects for Growth

Nearly Two Thirds of Participants Call for 5% Growth or More

Princeton, NJ (April 15, 2008) – In a survey conducted at the leading chemical industry event in the United Sates - InformexUSA - exhibitors and visitors said they remain optimistic on the prospects for growth. Almost two thirds of respondents (65%) called for their business to improve 5-10% percent during the year, a statistic that virtually matched last year’s 63% projection of 5-10% growth. The exhibition held January 29, 2008 through February 1 in New Orleans had more than 4,000 participants.

According to Emilio Rouco, Marketing Director, the optimistic outlook is a reflection of the companies at InformexUSA that base their business on higher value chemicals and services. “The companies represented at InformexUSA work continuously to develop and optimize higher value technologies and in doing so they compete very effectively in a marketplace that demands higher quality and efficacy year after year,” he said. “If you attended InformexUSA this year, you were among the top echelon of companies that hold leadership positions in the marketplace. These top tier companies typically “trade-up” to the advanced chemical technologies found at InformexUSA and go on to serve as the ultimate winners in the marketplace, whatever the marketplace conditions,” he said. “It’s no wonder that the survey findings show Informex exhibitors and attendees as upbeat on the growth prospects of their business virtually every year,” he added.

Nearly 73% of those surveyed said they attended the exhibition more than once while 27% said this year was their first at InformexUSA. Altogether, attendance increased by 3% over last year, a number that suggests higher value chemical technologies will play an important role in the manufacture and production strategies of companies going forward.

One of the key findings in the post-event survey centered on the type of companies interested in higher value chemicals. Approximately 75% of the companies represented at InformexUSA declared annual sales that range from 50 to over 500 million dollars. This wide range of sales figures shows that companies of all sizes rely substantially on higher value chemicals for improvements in manufacturing processes, product functionality, product performance and more.

Table 1: Annual Sales of Companies Represented at InformexUSA 2008

One of the most important findings in the post-event survey points to an evolution in the business objectives of visitors and exhibitors. When asked ‘what products or services does your company buy or sell,’ more people said they had come to InformexUSA with the intention to buy or sell ‘Custom Synthesis’ than ‘Toll or Contract Manufacturing.’ These results affirm an on-going shift toward higher value chemicals for competitive advantage in the global marketplace.

Table 2: Products and Services Offered and Sold at InformexUSA 2008

Informex announced that the 2009 edition of InformexUSA will be held on January 27-30 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, bringing the event back to the west coast for the second time in three years.

Note to Editor:

InformexUSA is the leading meeting place for buyers and sellers of high-value chemistry for a broad range of applications. As the leading tradeshow in the United States, InformexUSA has been a marketplace for networking and doing business in the fine, custom and specialty chemical manufacturing industry for more than 20 years. Visitors to the show come from a broad range of manufacturing industries including adhesives, electronics, agrochemicals, biopharmaceuticals, pharmaceuticals, plastics, paints, and more. Each year the event brings together an international mix of more than 4,000 fine and specialty chemicals professionals and 500 exhibitors. For more information, visit www.informex.com

Informex Holdings LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CMP Information Limited. CMP Information Limited is the B2B communications division of United Business Media plc. operating internationally, providing creative professional media solutions to around 20 industry sectors. Its products, including magazines, exhibitions, conferences, awards, information products and websites, are targeted at business professionals across a range of markets; these include Construction & Architecture, Commercial Property, Licensed Trade, Travel, Agriculture and Ingredients. CMPi has approximately 1,000 employees in the UK, US, Asia, Europe, India and South America and in 2005, generated £177m in revenues. For more information on CMP Information limited, visit www.cmp.biz.