Intertextile Beijing – China International Trade Fair for Apparel Fabrics & Accessories closed successfully at Beijing Exhibition Centre on 30 March 2006.

Final Report

Intertextile Beijing, held at the Beijing Exhibition Centre last week, proved once again that it is a key meeting place for the apparel textile industry. The fair, jointly organised by Messe Frankfurt and the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT and the China Textile Information Centre, drew a positive response from the majority of exhibitors.

"Intertextile Beijing is clearly regarded as the most important platform for apparel textile business in the north-eastern region of China," commented Ms. Annie Ma, Group Manager for Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd. "Since its creation in 2001, the show has become the first choice for garment manufacturers and buyers from this area to source anything and everything from fibres to fabrics and accessories."

"With over 23% more exhibitors than in 2005, Intertextile Beijing is showing a very healthy growth," continues Ma. "We are confident that such an increase in exhibitor numbers is set to continue and this is why, next year, the show will be held at two different venues – the Beijing Exhibition Centre and the China World Trade Centre."

Covering five standard and three temporary halls, Intertextile Beijing 2006 housed a wide range of apparel fabrics and accessories from all over the world. Over 680 exhibitors from 18 countries and regions participated at the show including for the first time, companies from the Philippines, Spain and the USA. Exhibitors from Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and for the first time Pakistan, were present at the show under national pavilions.

The positive atmosphere of the fair was evident for all and the foreign exhibitors were especially enthusiastic about the potential of the north-east China market.

"This is our third time at Intertextile Beijing and our main purpose at this show is to investigate this particular market," said Mr. Urs Wicki, Export Manager of Schoeller, a Swiss company. "As producer of functional fabrics, we are particularly interested in meeting buyers sourcing fabrics for sportswear. With the Olympics coming up, as well as the increasing number of people taking up active sports like skiing and trekking, this region is especially important to us. We have made some interesting contacts here."

“I am very happy with Intertextile Beijing this year,” said Mr. Dogan Filiz, from the Turkish company Bahariye Mensucat San. ve TIC. A.S. “I am especially pleased with the quality of the buyers. We are gaining better results than expected. We produce wool and with its cold climate, this region is our perfect market. We are also pleased that we have met buyers from Australia, India, Korea and the USA."

As in previous years, the exhibitors at Intertextile Beijing included a large group from Italy. Mr. Mario Alciato, from Moessmer, one of the 44 Italian companies present at the show said: “The Chinese market is very important to us. Intertextile Beijing provides a very good opportunity for us to get to know the north-east China market, and to see first hand how business is done here. Contrary to markets in Europe and the USA, the market in China is flourishing and because of its sheer size cannot be viewed as ‘one market’ any longer. There is no other show that gives us access to this region."

Germany was also present in force with a pavilion comprising fourteen companies. All were encouraged by the feedback received from the visitors to their booths. Mr. Thomas Galster from Ploucquet, a company under the Sympatex group, said: "China’s demand for functional textiles is strong and ever-growing. We introduced our new product at this year's Intertextile Beijing: Sympatex REFLEXION, a fabric with very high heat protection and reflection. Knowing that China's sports market is booming, it makes perfect business sense for us to exhibit at this fair."

A major textile heavyweight itself, Japan, is finding more and more opportunities for textile trade with China. "All fabrics exhibitors agree that we cannot compare with China on the standard fabrics," said Mr. Teruo Hase, from Uni Textile. "However, because our products are very special we can enter this market with ease. We also choose to be present at the fair to increase our brand recognition."

Mr. Wook-Jae Lee from the Korea Silk Research Institute also agreed that quality is the key to successful Chinese market penetration. "We came to the show with three companies from the JinJu region in Korea that produce very high quality silk. We know that there is huge potential for this type of silk in China and we must raise our profile and expand our network of contacts."

Mainland Chinese exhibitors were also pleased with the opportunities the show offered.

"We produce fabrics made from soy protein fibres and Intertextile Beijing 2006 gives us the unique opportunity to promote our range not only to the domestic market but also to overseas buyers," said Ms. Xizoyun Zhu, Vice General Manager for China Soybean Protein Fiber.

"Intertextile Beijing 2006 gives us excellent exposure to both local and international buyers. We need a professional, high quality and influential platform to promote our corporate image to local as well as overseas customers," said Ms. Helen Weng of Du Pont, China.
"Through this fair, we’re also able to see the latest industry trends and learn from other exhibitors. It’s also a good venue for us to meet with existing and potential clients.”

A series of seminars on the latest market news was held parallel to the show which attracted a high number of interested parties and generated very positive results for the participants.

The next Intertextile Beijing will run from 22 – 24 March 2007 at two venues: the Beijing Exhibition Centre and the China World Trade Centre.