PRINCETON, New Jersey, May 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Informex, the leading meeting place for buyers and sellers of high-value chemistry for a broad range of applications, today announced an increase in exhibitor booking levels for the 28th installment of the event, which will take place at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans from February 14-17th 2012. There are already 289 confirmed exhibitors for the 2012 event, which is a 7.4% increase year over year. Fifteen of these exhibitors are either new or have increased their booth space for next year's show, with the largest exhibitors including Albemarle, AMRI, WeylChem, BASF, Evonik Degussa, DSM, Johnson Matthey and FutureFuel.

Successful features from previous years will return in 2012, such as the Profiles in Sustainability Awards, which are now in their 3rd year, and the Chemistry Innovations Poster Pavilion, which was introduced in 2011. The Profiles in Sustainability Awards continue to gain traction as the chemical industry is seeing a drastic shift towards green chemistry. The Awards are designed to support new innovations that are not only sustainable, but also feasible on a commercial scale. The Chemistry Innovations Poster Pavilion offers a channel for both exhibitors and non-exhibitors to display their latest innovations, new products, technologies and services directly to influential industry players.

"Informex aims to keep a fresh perspective on what will be most beneficial to our visitors," noted Jennifer Jessup, Global Brand Director for Informex. "By paying close attention to the market and to visitor and exhibitor feedback, we are able to identify what features we should continue and where we should try something different. Our 2011 visitor survey indicated that 85% planned to return in 2012. While we are obviously delighted when we receive feedback of this nature, we know that that we must continue to deliver an event that surpasses visitor expectations and adapt content according to market demands."

Part of the success at InformexUSA can be largely attributed to the opportunities for networking that are facilitated throughout the event. Visitors agree that this is often the best way to make connections during the event. As Gary Darkens, Director of New Business Development at Bayer Cropscience LP commented, "[Informex is] an exciting opportunity to meet with suppliers, distributors, customers and competitors under one roof in a business focused environment. [It is] a must for understanding market dynamics and efficiently networking with industry professionals over the course of days that would otherwise take months." This type of feedback has supported the return of features like the Speed Networking Sessions which were introduced in North Carolina in 2011, as well as the many networking receptions that are hosted for visitors. As usual, InformexUSA will kick off with a welcome reception, which will once again be hosted by Dixie Chemical, and an additional exhibitor reception will be added to the line-up for 2012.

Also new for 2012, InformexUSA will introduce a new format for the popular conference programs as a pre-show series which visitors can attend on Monday, February 13, 2012.

For further information on InformexUSA and online registration please visit: http://www.informex.com

UBM Live is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Business Media plc (LSE: UBM) a leading provider of business information services to the maritime, travel, fashion, technology, healthcare, media, and property industries. UBM offers services in trade shows, online, news distribution, and publishing to customers across the globe. Its brands are represented in more than 30 countries and are organized into specialist teams that serve their business communities helping them excel in their market by working effectively and efficiently. For more information, go to http://www.ubmlive.com.

About Informex: Organized by UBM Live, Informex is the leading meeting place for buyers and sellers of high-value chemistry for a broad range of applications. As the premier, must-attend, event for the chemical industry for the past 27 years, Informex is a marketplace for networking and doing business in the fine, custom and specialty chemical manufacturing industry. The show traces its origin to a group of members from the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Associates (SOCMA) who were looking for an annual place to meet and do business. Each year the event brings together an international mix of more than 4,000 fine and specialty chemicals professionals and 500 exhibitors for the all encompassing, 4 day event.

SOURCE Informex