Featuring the largest showcase in the series since its launch in 2008, the recently concluded ITMA ASIA + CITME 2016 textile machinery exhibition received a very strong response from visitors. By the end of the five-day show on 25 October, the fifth combined showcase registered a visitorship of over 100,000 from 102 countries and regions. 20% of the visitors came from outside China.
In terms of visitor numbers, Chinese mainland visitors ranked first, followed by India, Japan, Korea, Taiwan China, Indonesia and Bangladesh, and exhibitors have commented very favourably on the high quality of professional and trade visitors attending the show.
A total of 1,673 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions participated in the exhibition, which covered over 170,000 square metres of gross exhibition space. In terms of exhibit space, China fielded the biggest number of participants. The Chinese exhibitors occupied 69.4 per cent of the exhibition space. This was followed by Germany – 6.5 per cent, Italy – 5.5 per cent, Japan – 4.7 per cent and Switzerland – 3.2 per cent. By product categories, spinning was the largest sector, occupying 30 per cent of the total exhibit space. Dyeing, finishing and printing machinery form the next biggest group at 27 per cent, followed by knitting and weaving at 17 per cent.
Mr Fritz Mayer, President of CEMATEX, said: “We are delighted that this was our largest show since its launch back in 2008. The majority of our visitors were serious buyers, and as a result our exhibitors are very happy with the overall quality. We are looking forward to another successful presentation of the next combined show in 2018.”
Mr Wang Shutian, President of China Textile Machinery Association (CTMA), agreed: “The combined show continues to be a ‘must’ for textile machinery manufacturers and their customers, and we are delighted to present the very best technologies from both east and west to Chinese and other Asian buyers.”
With the rapid development of information technology, the organiser provided some brand new services to visitors. Visitors could download an interactive map to navigate the exhibition halls, and visitors were also given the option of registering and paying for their badges via WeChat, a popular mobile app in China.
The next combined show will be held at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (Shanghai) from 26 to 30 October 2018 and will be organised by BJITME, and co-organised by ITMA Services.
ITMA 2019 will take place in Barcelona, Spain from 20 to 26 June 2019