Techtextil: New event cycle

Interview with Michael Jänecke – Director Brand Management Technical Textile – Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH

The dates for the next Techtextil and Texprocess in Frankfurt am Main have been fixed. The two trade fairs will be held from 21 to 24 June 2022 and shift to even years.

 Recently postponed due to the current corona pandemic, Techtextil and Texprocess, the leading international trade fairs for technical textiles and nonwovens and for the processing of textile and flexible materials, will next be held in Frankfurt am Main from 21 to 24 June 2022. With the shift to 2022, the two fairs will also change their event cycle and shift permanently to even years. The dates for 2024 have also been set and they will take place from 9 to 12 April. In 2022, Techtextil and Texprocess will occupy the western section of Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre (Halls 8, 9, 11 and 12) for the first time, as was originally planned for the 2021 edition.

We are delighted that, after close consultations with the sector and our partners, it was quickly possible to find new dates for the postponed Techtextil and Texprocess trade fairs. The biennial event cycle for the two fairs has proved to be in the best interests of the sector so that, together, we have decided to maintain this rhythm from 2022. Next year, also Techtextil North America and Texprocess Americas (17 to 19 May 2022) will be held as scheduled.

Longing for personal encounters

During the pandemic digital experiences and communication formats have taken the place of physical encounters with greater impact than ever before. At the same time – and this is something that the crisis has made very clear – our longing and need for personal encounters is increasing, both in our private lives and in our business lives. We need these personal connections to build good, long-lasting business relationships. Not only for the manufacturers of all kinds of technical textiles which are mainly customized products but also  for the machine suppliers at Techtextil and Texprocess, it’s all about presenting the products and machines live. Companies invest in a product very consciously, so trade fairs are all the more important here. This much-expressed profound desire has kindled in us a strong motivation to get our trade fair business up and running again, even if the trade fairs will have to be redesigned and organised differently when they restart.

New digital services

We will continue to push the topic of “digital” as we are convinced that this will establish itself as an additional offer. However, it will not be able to replace personal encounters in real life.

So, the next edition of Techtextil and Texprocess in June 2022 is planned as a hybrid event that, in addition to the fair and a comprehensive programme of events, will include a variety of digital services. Along with innovations from the exhibitors at Techtextil, both exhibitors and visitors can expect a large number of fringe events, highlight topics and special formats. These will include the Techtextil Forum, featuring lectures, workshops and panel discussions with top experts from the industry, the Techtextil Innovation Award, a digital textile micro-factory, and a new fashion show. Alongside these on-the-spot formats, Techtextil will in addition be increasingly exploiting supplementary digital formats for exhibitors and visitors, including live streamings, digital presentation formats for exhibitors, and digital matchmaking.

Sustainability – the driver of innovation

Fibres made of recycled polyester, bio-based high-tech textiles, water-saving dyeing and finishing processes, functional wear and work clothing, which manage with less solvents and adhesives, or none: in the field of technical textiles and in processing textile and flexible materials more and more companies are taking approaches to greater sustainability. With “Sustainability at Techtextil”, this leading international trade fair is putting its exhibitors’ approaches to this trend on display. In addition, numerous event formats will take up the subject of sustainability. The Techtextil Innovation Award will be presented in recognition of outstanding approaches.

Denim Future at Texprocess

Technology. Efficiency. Progress. Running concurrently with Techtextil, Texprocess – again a leading international trade fair – will be showing the processing of textile and flexible materials. Here the focus will be on relevant topics such as artificial intelligence, 3D design software, or Industry 4.0.

Texprocess will be focusing particularly on aspects of sustainability and the growing luxury sector for denim products. With “Sustainability at Texprocess”, the Texprocess Forum, and new digital formats, Texprocess will also be featuring broad opportunities for exchange of knowledge and networking.

About Techtextil & Texprocess

No other trade fair shows such a broad range of technical textile materials as Techtextil. From the automotive industry to medical technology, from the construction industry to fashion: the potential applications of textile innovations which international exhibitors show at Techtextil are almost unlimited and offer a multiplicity of opportunities to make products lighter, more functional and more sustainable. Under the banner of performance, function and future, Techtextil invites international pioneers to present their latest textile innovations.

At Texprocess in Frankfurt, international manufacturers of technologies, accessories and services for garment manufacture and textile processing meet with processors of textile materials from all over the world. Trade visitors experience the latest machines, plants, processes and services for the processing of clothing and textiles. The range of offers covers all process steps.

With new claims, modified hall layouts, a set of effective anti-coronavirus measures, and new digital formats Techtextil and Texprocess continue sharpening their profiles.

The biggest ever editions of Techtextil and Texprocess were held in May 2019 and attracted a total of 1,818 exhibitors from 59 countries. Over 47,000 trade visitors from a total of 116 countries came to the Frankfurt Exhibition Centre to find out about the most innovative products in the field of technical textiles and the latest processing technologies.