Hybrid exhibition to support Intertextile Apparel in March
The organisers of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics have announced that Spring edition will be held from March 10 - 12, 2021 at National Exhibition and Convention Centre (Shanghai). The fair will adopt a hybrid format with online platforms and digital solutions complementing the physical fair, to support exhibitors in China’s recovering textile market.
Running as originally scheduled, the 2020 Autumn edition welcomed nearly 3,400 exhibitors from 20 countries and regions, and attracted over 73,500 visitors. Over 240 virtual meetings were also arranged during the fair through the fair’s new Connect Plus platform and the VIP business matching programme.
“As a global apparel textile flagship, the Spring edition of Intertextile Apparel in 2021 will continue to serve as a reliable sourcing platform, both in-person and virtually, for the textile industry to connect and recover. With travel restrictions still in effect in many countries and regions, digital solutions and the hybrid format of the fair are essential to facilitate suppliers and buyers in their sourcing process. We look forward to international exhibitors joining us via the onsite or online formats, allowing them to take advantage of the opportunities offered by China’s recovering textile market,” Wendy Wen, senior general manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, said in a press release.
The fair will take place as China’s textile market continues to show signs of quick recovery from the effects of the pandemic. With industrial output continuing to remain strong, Chinese consumer confidence is also starting to rebound. According to a McKinsey study, net optimism of consumers is now at 54 per cent, the highest compared to respondents from other countries. This recovery in the economy and consumer demand was also observed by exhibitors from the 2020 Autumn edition, who expressed how the fair provided a much-need trading platform for making up lost business.
“Intertextile is a great way to reconnect with the textile industry. On just the first day, we acquired 35 contacts for new fabrics and met with 10 new brands and can confidently say we’ve met our expectations so far. More importantly there are large crowds of people, meaning that people are not afraid to travel domestically, which is a good sign. Intertextile successfully opening as planned is a good first start, indicating the market is gradually returning to normal,” Steve Stewart, apparel vice president, Asia at The Lycra Company, said.
For exhibitors who cannot travel to China, the Hybrid Showcase will be held again to display their products for onsite buyers to touch and feel, with audio visual equipment provided to help present their company. These ‘hybrid exhibitors’ will be able to stay connected with onsite and online buyers via the instant messaging and video calling functions of the Intertextile mobile app and the fair’s online business matching tool, Connect Plus, which will be accessible before, during and after the fair.
“Due to Covid-19, we didn’t travel to the fair. But we joined Intertextile’s Hybrid Showcase and sent over some fancy knits for display, which are our company’s most popular products. We gained around 40 new contacts some of them are our target customers and we started talking with them via emails after the fair. As this was the first time we joined a hybrid format trade fair, we didn’t expect so much and we are satisfied with the results,” James Nam, president at NK Fabric from Korea, said in the release.
Intertextile’s country & region pavilions and dedicated product zones will be offering a comprehensive range of products to help buyers meet their specific souring needs.
Thursday, 17 December 2020