© Messe Frankfurt.

Physical trade fairs returned to the textile industry’s calendar last week, as Messe Frankfurt successfully hosted the debut edition of Yarn Expo Shenzhen. Alongside Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics, the two fairs were the company’s first ‘in-person’ events since February.

In total, 125 exhibitors participated in Yarn Expo, while there were over 42,000 visits recorded at the four concurrent fairs, which also included Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics, CHIC and PH Value. The shows were held at the brand-new Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center, with Yarn Expo covering 10,000 square metres.

Yarn Expo Shenzhen is an expansion of the original trade fair which has been held for the last 16 years, first in Beijing before it relocated to Shanghai. Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd elaborated: “The Yarn Expo Spring & Autumn editions in Shanghai have proved extremely popular in recent years, with strong increases in both the exhibitor and visitor numbers. This gave us the confidence to expand the fair to the south of China where we could utilise the brand-new venue and provide another platform for suppliers to capture the growing potential in this region of the country as well as further afield in Asia.”

Busy aisles on day 1 of the first Yarn Expo Shenzhen

“Our cooperation with the organisers of CHIC and PH Value to bring these fairs to Shenzhen added to the success of this debut edition,” Ms Wen continued. “By replicating the Shanghai concept with the four fairs held together, we are bringing the full textile supply chain together under one roof which has proved beneficial for exhibitors and visitors.”

Ms Wen added: “Given all the challenges facing the industry at present, we are extremely pleased with the results of the last three days and are glad that we can play our part in assisting the industry’s recovery through the resumption of our fairs. The overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants shows that the decision to expand the fair, as well as proceed with it on the scheduled dates, was the right one. It is clear that there is demand for another Yarn Expo fair in China, in this region and at this time of the year. Now we look ahead to our Shanghai editions of Yarn Expo and Intertextile Apparel in late September, with the hope that more of our international exhibitors and visitors will be able to participate.”

New health & safety measures implemented

To ensure the wellbeing of all participants at the fair, Messe Frankfurt says it strictly followed the guidelines of the local health authorities concerning large-scale events. These guidelines include real-name authentication during registration and to enter the fairground, body temperature checks, the requirement for face masks to be worn to enter the fairground, crowd control and distancing measures throughout the whole exhibition period, public areas sterilised regularly, specific areas allocated for dining, and the requirement for hand sanitiser and medical service points to be available throughout the fairground.

Exhibitor responses to the first edition

“This is our first time exhibiting at a Yarn Expo fair, and we are very pleased with the result. Since the fair opened yesterday until the end of today, our booth has been packed with buyers. We think the pandemic has accumulated very strong demand in the market. We started our A/W promotion earlier this year and we see the market has the same trend, with most of the buyers sourcing A/W products already. The timing and the location of the fair are very beneficial. The potential in the Greater Bay Area will grow, so this is an ideal location to hold the fair,” said Ms Mary Xu, General Manager, TopLine (Ningbo) Textile Co Ltd / Consinee Group, China.

“Since this fair is the first professional trade event after the pandemic, it has provided invaluable opportunities. The domestic market in particular is experiencing a rebound, and companies are launching different products to stay competitive. We’ve been able to connect with apparel fabric manufacturers and also trading companies who work for overseas clients and met with brands such as Belle and Anta. What’s more, many apparel brands are interested to do business with us to see if we can help with their product development,” commented Mr Forest Chu, Deputy General Manager of Brand Operation, Jiangsu Shenghong Science and Technology Co Ltd, China

“The visitor flow is much higher than we expected. Yarn Expo, together with the concurrent fairs, provides a comprehensive platform where buyers can source everything, so this offers us a good opportunity to find new potential clients. July is the peak sourcing season for the e-commerce sector, and with the coronavirus pandemic changing consumer behaviour, we’ve put more emphasis into this,” added Ms Nicole Ni, Marketing Manager, Zhejiang Xinao Textiles Inc, China.

The next Yarn Expo fair, Yarn Expo Autumn, will take place from 23-25 September 2020 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai.

Yarn Expo Shenzhen is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; China Cotton Textile Association; China Chemical Fibers Association; and China Knitting Industrial Association. The fair was held concurrently with Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics, as well as CHIC and PH Value.

www.yarnexpo-shenzhen.com