NPE2027: a plan for molders and suppliers at the three-year plastics show

NPE2027 runs Monday, May 3, to Friday, May 7, 2027, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) produces it every three years, according to NPE’s About page, so for a molder or materials supplier it is the one week in three years when equipment makers, resin and additive suppliers, moldmakers and buyers are in the same building. PTXPO, the other big plastics show, is off until 2028, as our piece on the shows taking 2027 off covers.

NPE 2027 is a planning problem more than a travel problem. The companies that come home with new business will have decided before the holidays whether to exhibit or walk, registered by the Jan. 22 early-bird deadline, booked their meetings by March, and walked the floor in May with a list. The exhibit-or-walk decision comes first, because the show floor was 87% sold as of September 2026.

NPE 2027 at a glance

Everything in this table comes from NPE’s own pages, read on Oct. 26, 2026.

Item	Detail
Where and when	Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, May 3 to 7, 2027 (About)
Exhibitors and space	More than 2,200 exhibiting companies and more than 1.1 million square feet of exhibit space (About)
Attendance	“51,000+” professionals, the figure on the NPE home page and the exhibitor page
Who attends, by NPE’s figures	27% from outside the US; 90% are buyers; 71% influence or make purchasing decisions; 62% control budgets of $1 million or more (Become an exhibitor)
Floor status	“As of September 2026 the NPE2027 Show Floor is 87% sold out” (Become an exhibitor)
Pass prices, early bird	Expo: free for members, $95 for nonmembers. Expo+: $695 and $895. Expo+ One Day: $350 and $495 (pricing)
New for 2027	400+ new exhibitors, a Sustainability Park, reimagined Technology Zones, expert-led 90-minute show floor tours, a Packaging Stage and a Polymer Pub (New at NPE2027)
Technology Zones	Bottle; Recycling and Sustainability; Materials; Manufacturing Services; Moldmaking (Tech Zones)

The audience percentages are the organizer’s, and NPE does not say on that page how it measured them. For other plastics shows in 2027, see our full 2027 manufacturing trade show calendar.

Should a molder exhibit at NPE 2027 or walk it?

For most custom molders, in our view, walking with a meeting list beats a booth. NPE is an equipment, materials and technology show first; its Technology Zones are built around bottles, recycling, materials, manufacturing services and moldmaking. A molder’s booth competes with every press and robot maker in the hall for the attention of the OEM engineers who buy molded parts.

Exhibiting makes more sense in three cases. If you are a materials, additive, tooling or equipment supplier, NPE is your audience. If you are a molder with a capability that fits one of the Technology Zones, especially Manufacturing Services or Moldmaking, the zone puts you where the right visitors are looking. And if your top OEM accounts have told you they are going, a small booth gives you a place to host them. With the floor 87% sold in September 2026, make the call in November and check the exhibitor page for space the same week. NPE’s 2027 exhibit space rates are $51.50 a square foot for nonmembers and $30.50 for PLASTICS members up to 400 square feet; our booth cost breakdown shows what the services and travel add.

For walkers, the value is the schedule. One molder’s sales lead, plant manager and process engineer can each run a different list, one for OEM buyers and prospects, one for press and automation suppliers and one for resin and colorant suppliers.

NPE 2027 registration prices and dates that matter

Registration is open on NPE’s registration site. The pricing page sets three windows, early bird from Sept. 14, 2026 to Jan. 22, 2027, advance from Jan. 23 to May 2 and onsite during the show. Members of PLASTICS and of the Society of Plastics Engineers get the member rate.

Pass	Member, early bird / advance / onsite	Nonmember, early bird / advance / onsite
Expo	$0 / $75 / $125	$95 / $175 / $250
Expo+	$695 / $895 / $1,095	$895 / $1,095 / $1,395
Expo+ One Day (Monday to Thursday)	$350 / $450 / $550	$495 / $595 / $695

For a nonmember sending three people on Expo passes, registering by Jan. 22 instead of at the door saves $465.

NPE’s cancellation and refund policy sets the other dates. Cancel by Jan. 22, 2027, and the fee is $95; from Jan. 23 to April 1, it is $175; after April 1, no refunds. Downgrades to a cheaper pass are allowed through April 1, and name substitutions are accepted until April 30, 2027, so register the people you expect to send and swap names later if plans change.

Housing is open, according to NPE’s exhibitor FAQ, with exhibitors who attended space selection getting first access, and the attendee FAQ says complimentary shuttles run between the convention center and most NPE2027 designated hotels.

Education access depends on the pass. Per NPE’s education page, the 90+ show floor sessions on three stages are open to all attendees, while the walking tours and the 30- and 60-minute classroom sessions require an Expo+ or Expo+ One Day registration. Tour RSVPs open in January. The tours run one theme a day from Monday through Thursday, covering sustainability and circularity, advanced manufacturing, packaging and future technology in that order.

1. September 2026

   Show floor 87% sold

2. Jan. 22, 2027

   Early-bird rates end; last day to cancel for a $95 fee

3. Jan. 23

   Advance rates start (Expo $175 nonmember); cancellation fee rises to $175

4. January

   Show floor tour RSVPs open (Expo+ and Expo+ One Day)

5. April 1

   Last day for refunds and pass downgrades

6. April 30

   Last day for name substitutions

7. May 2

   Last day of advance rates

8. May 3 to 7

   NPE2027, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando; onsite rates (Expo $250 nonmember)

The registration deadlines that move money. The countdown below schedules the work around them. Source: NPE2027 pricing page, Cancellation and Refund Policy and education page; npe.org/become-an-exhibitor, read Oct. 26, 2026.

The NPE 2027 countdown, from November

Nov. 2 to Dec. 18, 2026: decide

• Decide whether to exhibit or walk. If you might exhibit, check the exhibitor page for space now.
• Decide who goes, which days, and which pass each person needs, and pick the one or two goals for the trip, such as three new OEM prospects in medical, a second resin source, or a quote on a new press cell.
• Book hotels and flights; NPE housing is open.

Jan. 4 to 22, 2027: register

• Register everyone by Jan. 22, while early-bird rates apply and the cancellation fee is $95.
• RSVP for the tours that match your goals once RSVPs open.

Jan. 25 to Feb. 19: build the list

• Fill in the target meeting worksheet below with 25 to 40 names across customers, prospects and suppliers.
• Check the exhibitor map for each supplier and prospect who exhibits, and note their hall and booth.

Feb. 22 to March 26: book the meetings

• Email each target with a specific reason and two proposed times. OEM prospects respond to a reason tied to their parts, such as a material change, a cost-down or a tooling transfer.
• Ask your press, robot and resin suppliers who from their key accounts will be at the show, and whether they will introduce you.

March 29 to April 30: prepare

• Prepare one page per target covering what they make, what you know about their needs and what you want to leave with.
• Bring sample parts and a capabilities sheet that answers what buyers ask about presses by tonnage, materials run, certifications and secondary operations.
• Settle the roster before April 1, the last day for refunds or downgrades, and swap names by April 30.

Show week (May 3 to 7)

• Hold a 15-minute team check-in each morning, and log every conversation the same day with a next step and a date.

After the show

• Follow up on the method in our trade show ROI worksheet, and send each prospect something specific to its parts, such as a quote, a DFM note or a sample plan.

Target meeting worksheet

Copy this into a spreadsheet, one row per target.

Company and contact	Type	Why meet (one line)	Booth, day and time	Owner and next step
Company, name and title	Customer, prospect, equipment, material or tooling	The reason tied to their parts or your goal	Hall and booth if exhibiting; meeting day, time and place	Who owns it, the next step and its date

The “why meet” column is the one that gets meetings booked. If you cannot write it in one line, the target probably does not belong on this trip’s list.

In your corner of plastics

Custom injection molders

Walk the show with a split list and spend at least half the time on OEM and prospect meetings rather than on press makers. Before those prospects look you up after the show, check that your website answers what buyers search before they pick a molder.

Materials, color and additive suppliers

NPE is your best room in three years. The Materials Zone and the Sustainability Park are where processors will look for new grades and recycled content.

Moldmakers

The Moldmaking Zone puts tooling in front of molders who are planning capacity. Bring cycle-time and steel data from real tools.

What to do Monday

1. Decide whether you exhibit or walk, and if a booth is possible, check the exhibitor page for space in November.
2. Name who goes and which pass each person needs, and put Jan. 22, 2027, the early-bird and $95 cancellation deadline, on the calendar.
3. Book hotels.
4. Write the trip’s one or two goals at the top of the worksheet, and ask your top three suppliers which of your prospects they expect to see at NPE.