With Canadian imports of clothing, textile and footwear reaching an all-time high in 2016 of CAD$ 2.1 billion, ATSC has announced that it has secured a 50% increase in exhibit space at Toronto’s International Centre for this year’s show, which will be held from 21-23 August 2017.

According to show organisers, the decision to expand was driven by positive exhibitor and visitor feedback, strong attendance and a renewed commitment from international manufacturers and industry partners, such as the Canadian Apparel Federation, TESTEX, WRAP, Brands for Canada, and Fashion Business Inc.

Online b2b platform

Produced by JP Communications, North America’s leading publisher of business to business trade platforms TopTenWholesale.com and Manufacturer.com, the apparel, textile and fashion event is the first of its kind in Canada.

It is also the first Canadian trade show to be launched by an online b2b trade platform, which “fuelled the massive and engaged databases of TopTenWholesale.com and Manufacturer.com to help deliver a hugely successful event,” said Jason Prescott, CEO of JP Communications.

Connecting with international suppliers

ATSC was introduced to provide Canadian businesses with the convenience of connecting with international suppliers on their home turf, Prescott explained. “Now, Canadian companies have the luxury of staying local and avoiding expensive and unnecessary international travel,” he said. “The event connects Canada to the world of global trade, all in Toronto.”

A comprehensive trade show and conference, ATSC 2017 will bring to Canada hundreds of apparel and textile manufacturers from around the world, including China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the US, the UK, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and more. Through an impressive platform of seminars and sessions, attendees can make global industry connections, and gain the insights needed to navigate the international sourcing process.

Trends showcase

New for 2017 will be a leading-edge trends showcase featuring the latest and greatest in apparel and textiles and a high-profile roster of international speakers. A fashion show and design contest will also be held, featuring items available to be sourced at the event, as well as fashions from local designers and students from many of the Toronto-based fashion schools partnering with the event for the second-consecutive year.

“The Canadian market presents sizable investment opportunities for producers worldwide,” Prescott said, citing reports that show the country’s annual population growth holding steady at about 1% or more than 339,000 people and Ontario’s population alone projected to grow by 30.1%, or almost 4.2 million for a total of more than 17.9 million, over the next 26 years.

Support

ATSC is supported by many international governmental associations headed by the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textile and Apparel (CCCT) and the Bangladesh High Commission, led by Dewan Mahmud, First Secretary (Commercial) at Bangladesh High Commission.

According to Jiang Hui, Chairman of CCCT, the success of the premier edition of ATSC has given his organisation “strong confidence” to bring an increased number of high-quality Chinese producers to the show in 2017. “The growth of the Canadian market and its unique business opportunities are attractive to Chinese manufacturers,” he said.

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