NPE 2003: International Visitors Should Plan Ahead

Published: November 25, 2002, By PRESS RELEASE

NPE 2003, June 23 - 27, 2003
McCormick Place, Chicago, IL, USA

CHICAGO, IL, USA—Citing long delays in US visa processing as the result of the 2001 terrorist attacks, The Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. (SPI), sponsor of the triennial NPE Exposition, urges international visitors to start the US visa application process.

To assist international visitors, SPI has developed a page on the NPE 2003 website with information on applying for a visa and includes links to relevant US government sites. Says SPI, "There is also a link to a list of US commercial service representatives in more than 70 countries that can provide information on participating in NPE 2003 or joining an official delegation of show visitors from a given nation.

"Since the terrorist attacks in the US on September 11 of last year, the time required for processing visa applications from many parts of the world has increased to three or four months,"says Jordan Morgenstern, SPI VP in charge of trade shows. "And delays may lengthen during the transition period if responsibility for processing visa applications is transferred from the US State Department to the proposed Department of Homeland Security. We are advising prospective international visitors to start the visa process now, even if they are only considering attendance at NPE 2003."

Visit NPE at npe.org. The page on visa applications can be accessed directly at npe.org/visa.