ITMA 2019 is worth the wait

China Textile： ITMA 2019， the world largest show of textile machinery， is just around the corner. As the organizer， could you please talk about the overall condition of the exhibitor organizing for this edition？ Are there any differences between this edition and the previous ones？

Ms. Sylvia Phua： This is the first time that ITMA Services is organising ITMA and we are grateful for the overwhelming response； space has been fully sold and there is a long waiting list.

Since the last time ITMA was held in Barcelona was 8 years ago， the venue and local regulations have become more defined， especially for the safety and health aspects. The organising team works very closely with the exhibitors， offering timely support.

In response to global concerns on sustainability， we take special care to advise our participants to go green and to choose sustainable options， such as taking public transport and avoid using plastic materials whenever possible. We are also offer digital exhibition catalogues instead of printing them. An ITMA app has been launched to provide exhibition information at the fingertips.

As an exhibition that emphasizes on technological developments， we continue to push the theme of innovation. In this edition， we have expanded the Research & Innovation sector into a special highlight – ITMA Innovation Lab that features four components：

· Research and Innovation Pavilion

· ITMA Speakers Platform

· ITMA Innovation Video Showcase

· ITMA Sustainable Innovation Award.

China Textile： How do you regard the Chinese ex- hibitors registered for this edition？

Ms. Sylvia Phua： We are very encouraged by their strong response. The number of Chinese exhibitors and the exhibition space they have booked have increased by about 50 per cent. This increase also reflects the growing interests of Chinese enterprises to internationalise their brands and promote their products to a global audience through ITMA.

China Textile： How about the visitor registration this year？ Are there any new trends presented through the current registration？

Ms. Sylvia Phua： As ITMA is the worlds largest textile and garment technology exhibition， and it is only held every four years， response from visitors has been positive. If we were to look at past trends， compared with previous editions， we have more registrants two months before the show. What is interesting is that we have more established brands， especially fashion and sports brands signing up to visit ITMA.

ITMA 2019 has also seen active participation amongst buyer organisations. We see many more forums， workshops and seminars organised by these supporting organisations， that will be held during the exhibition. A few of such events are： Better Cotton Initiative Seminar， SAC & ZDHC Manufacturer Forum， and Texmeeting by TEXFOR. Besides China， we are expecting more group delegations from countries such as Bangladesh， India， Pakistan， Turkey， Central Asia and USA.

China Textile： Compared to the previous edition， what kind of the improvements have been made to better facilitate both the exhibitors and the visitors？

Ms. Sylvia Phua： As mentioned earlier， we have an ITMA app to help visitors better plan their visit. Some of the features include wayfinding capabilities to allow ease of navigation since ITMA is a huge exhibition， appointment scheduler for visitors to book meetings with exhibitors before the show， as well as updated information on events and venue facilities. The entire ITMA venue is wi-fi enabled to provide convenience to all the smartphone users.

Exhibitors can get the most updated information and order all their services on the Exhibitor Centre which can be accessed via the ITMA website. Similarly， a Visitor Centre has been created. This portal provides a one-stop channel for visitors to order their badge and conference tickets， and get their visa invitation letter. Registered visitors can subsequently access their registration documents and download the electronic catalogue.

China Textile： Whats the strategic development plan of ITMA in the future？

Ms. Sylvia Phua： We will continue to reinvent and to keep up with industry developments， and to provide the worlds most innovative platform to the global textile and garment community. As the world is now looking at collaborative efforts to better meet challenges of the future， ITMA will be the inclusive platform where stakeholders from the entire value chain can converge. ITMA will also be a catalyst to facilitate both practical and leading-edge research and development， and offer solutions for a more sustainable planet.