TEXWORLD AND APPAREL SOURCING LAUNCH NEW CONCEPT

After the successful premiere of a virtual edition in July, Messe Frankfurt North America is bridging the gap between physical and virtual events by introducing a Pop-Up Sourcing Showcase at its New York textile shows. The announcement comes with even greater changes for these shows.

Along with earlier dates for the winter edition, Texworld and Apparel Sourcing USA are now Texworld New York City and Apparel Sourcing New York City. The virtual platform will take place January 12-14, 2021, along with the Pop-Up Sourcing Showcase that will join the traditional trade show floor presentation at the Javits Center to collectively create the largest sourcing event of the season.

The newest concept, “Pop-up Sourcing Showcase” is a dedicated area on the show floor that will feature a unique display of the highest quality fabrics and garments provided by mills from around the globe who cannot be present at the event. Suppliers will submit the best of their collections to be curated by New York-based trend agency, The Doneger Group. The “Pop-up Sourcing Showcase” is streamlined and integrated with the Virtual Platform giving visitors a unique and interactive sourcing experience. Guided by textile and apparel experts on-site, visitors will be able to touch and feel the fabrics, receive detailed product information through the virtual platform and communicate with participating exhibitors virtually.

“We are eager to introduce the Pop-up Sourcing Showcase to the textile community,” said Jennifer Bacon, show director. “The show has evolved tremendously since its inception. From the quality of the suppliers to the educational offerings, Texworld and Apparel Sourcing have become a staple in the market.”

“As the world faces economic, trade, and political crisis, our events have consistently adapted to the ever-changing industry for over 15 years now,” Bacon added. “The current sourcing environment has only accelerated the execution of our vision to reimagine the future of our events and we are thrilled to see it come to fruition.”

As businesses open to a new normal, global manufacturers will be welcomed to exhibit face-to-face. The “Traditional Exhibition” will operate in a typical trade show setting enabling local visitors to meet and source fabrics with exhibiting companies in-person, while adhering to all safety regulations set forth by the show organizer, the Javits Center as well as the state of New York.

“In consideration of our current global business climate and travel restrictions we look forward to increased participation from domestic suppliers and with the safety of our exhibitors, visitors and staff as a key focus, we are confident that the procedures put in place will support a strong health strategy for face-to-face interaction,” said president and CEO, Konstantin von Vieregge.

The mainstay features such as the Lenzing Seminar Series, Textile Talks, and the Texworld Trend will remain in place for the Traditional Exhibition as anchors of the event.

The third sourcing opportunity available to the attendees of the winter edition is the Virtual Platform. Following the success of the first-ever virtual edition this July, the well-received “Virtual Platform” will be reintroduced for those who are not able to attend the physical event. With features like AI-powered matchmaking, video calling, chat functions an advanced scheduling tool and access to the full complimentary educational program, the virtual platform provides an additional option to stay relevant and connected in the industry.

Von Vieregge continued, “Messe Frankfurt has a long tradition in being open to innovation and agile during challenging times and it is in this same spirit that we are excited to present a multitude of opportunities for our New York events to continue serving the textile sourcing community.”

Registration for the winter 2021 edition opens in the coming weeks.