Heimtextil organiser Messe Frankfurt has postponed the tradeshow from January to May 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and its associated international travel restrictions.
The tradeshow covering the latest in interior textiles, design and trends is now expected to run from 4 to 7 May 2021 in Frankfurt, and will be held concurrently with Techtextil, an international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens, and Texprocess, an international trade fair for processing textile and flexible materials.
Messe Frankfurt executive board member Detlef Braun said the change of dates was the result of the industry requesting the tradeshow to go on, but to be held at a date that is more feasible for attendance.
“The bulk of the international home and contract textiles sector want us to hold Heimtextil 2021. Many companies are hoping to give their businesses a boost by taking part in the fair following the restart. And we consider it a greater obligation than ever before that we play our part in this”, Braun said.
“However, the current travel restrictions and the renewed increase in the number of infections represent a big hurdle for our very international trade fair. We are in constant contact with our exhibitors and the appropriate authorities and will do everything in our power to ensure a safe and successful Heimtextil 2021.”
With more than 90 per cent of exhibitors attending Heimtextil from outside Germany, Textiles and Textile Technologies vice-president Olaf Schmidt said holding Heimtextil 2021 in May instead of January offers greater planning certainty for all involved.
“As part of the preparatory work for an international trade fair of this kind in January, it is necessary, for example, to commission stand-construction companies, ship the goods and book flights and hotels in September,” he said.
“Techtextil and Texprocess are biennial trade fairs and are next due to be held in May 2021. For Heimtextil, this is an opportunity to join forces with the two internationally successful textile trade fairs and present the entire textile value chain simultaneously at Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre.”
Additionally, holding Heimtextil concurrently with Techtextil and Texprocess aims to offer a host of synergistic effects for the sector.
“The close proximity to suppliers and buyers of technical textiles and nonwovens with innovative functionalities, as well as machines and the latest technologies for processing textile and flexible materials, is certain to generate interesting new perspectives for both visitors and exhibitors of Heimtextil. Indeed, the two textile fairs already aim at the home-textile sector with the ‘Hometech’ segment,” Schmidt said.
“We are confident that the situation with respect to the corona pandemic will have eased significantly by May, next year, and are looking forward to holding a successful and safe event together with our partners from the sector.”
Messe Frankfurt will also provide a supplementary digital service in connection with Heimtextil 2021: Nextrade, an order and data-management portal which offers opportunities through digital 24/7 business relationships between trade-fair participants.
There, dealers can place their orders with suppliers, therefore, do so independently of any official pandemic regulations applying at the time.
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