Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles
China International Trade Fair for Home Textiles and Accessories
28 – 30 August 2006, Shanghai New International Expo Centre
 
 
Final Report

A record number of visitors: over 29,000; an 11% increase from 2005 with buyers coming from 94 countries and regions

The most important home textiles fair in China with 677 exhibitors from 15 countries and regions taking up 80,500 sqm of booth space

Exhibitors delighted with the number of visitors and many plan to return in 2007
"Outstanding", "a constant flow of customers", "well organised", "exceeded our expectations" and "we will definitely be exhibiting at this fair in 2007". These are some of the exhibitors’ comments from this year's Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles trade fair, which took place last week at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

The 2006 trade fair was easily the busiest Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles ever. Visitor attendance was up by 11% on 2005 with over 29,000 individuals attending this year's show.

Exhibitor attendance grew by 12% compared to 2005. Companies also chose to take even more booth space resulting in a 17% increase in space booked and 80,500 sqm being filled. A number of exhibitors from key home textile producing regions, such as Guangdong, Haining, Hangzhou, Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanghai and Zhejiang attended this year's fair. International exhibitors included companies from France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, the UK and the USA.

Products at the show covered the entire home textile spectrum including curtains, upholstery, carpets and rugs, bed, bath, table linen and accessories such as textile related fixtures and fittings.

First time exhibitor, Rafael Catala SA, a Spanish woven fabrics supplier for upholstery and interior decoration, was impressed with the quantity and quality of customers and plans to return next year. Rafael Catala, the President, said: "It is our first time at this show and we're very happy with our experience. We have been very busy – there has been a constant flow of customers. As well as meeting important customers from China, we have met buyers from the Middle East, USA, Europe and Russia. We will be coming back next year and will be taking a much bigger booth."

"This is the first time we have joined Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles," said Mr Wicky Cheung of Clariant Hong Kong. "We aim to expand our market further to the whole world. With more customers demanding functional home textile fabrics, our chemical products for fabrics with different functions are becoming popular. Our booth has been very busy during the show. We will return next year as we find it is the right platform for us to meet our target clients."

Many businesses now see Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles as an integral part of their marketing activity and return every year. Lenzing Fibers, cellulose fibre producers, are one such company. General Manager, Ernst Sandrieser, said: "We attend this fair to raise awareness of our products and get new customers. We want to promote our products in China because there is great growth potential in the textile industry. The show itself is tremendous. The fact that the organisers can fill seven halls illustrates the potential in China. It is outstanding. We have collected a vast amount of contacts to be followed up after the show."

Echoing these comments was Marco Sengers, Service Manager of Bluefox Ned Graphics, which provide technology based design packages for woven textiles, printing textiles and floor coverings. Mr Sengers said: "The show is one of our key marketing activities. The Chinese market is huge and there is lots of potential. We’ve been very busy, we've had lots of leads over the three days we exhibited. We've even signed a couple of deals, one with a Chinese company, and the other from America. We're planning to exhibit next year and would like to book a much bigger booth."

"With last year's experience at the show, we found our participation more effective this time," said Mr Saijo of Mitsui Bussan Textile, Japan. "We have arranged many meetings with our old customers and we have met many new clients during the fair. The buyers are very interested in our products. We can see the trend of US and European buyers shifting their manufacturing base to China. Also, many buyers are coming to look for new suppliers in China. This is the right show for us to come to."

The choice and quality of products on show at Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles impressed the thousands of visitors that came from all over Asia and worldwide.

Mr Max Pattara, Pagoda Home Textiles, Sydney, Australia, said: "I found the show very impressive. The quality of the stands is very high as is the quality of the products. The show is very well organised. I am sure it will be even bigger next year. I think it is becoming a very important show for the home textile industry."
 
"I come here every year to source different kinds of home textile products. Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles is getting better every year. The fair is well organised with different areas dedicated to different product groups. With the booming home textile market, I reckon that the show will be the most important show in the region," said Mr Anderson Huang, General Manager of Anderson Brothers Trading, Taiwan, China.
 
Visitors and exhibitors also took advantage of the extensive fringe programme that ran during this year’s Intertextile Shanghai Home Textile.

Trend Forum 06/07

Heimtextil trend forum was staged at this year's trade fair equipping visitors and exhibitors with the latest international home fashion trends for 2006/07. Four different material types formed the trend themes: 'Emotions in Wood'; 'Reflections in Metal'; 'Elegance in Textiles'; and 'Dynamics in Plastic'. These were of great interest to visitors and exhibitors alike.

The 3rd China Home Textile Development Symposium

On the second day of Intertextile Shanghai Home Textile, four speakers from the world of home textiles spoke at a packed forum. The speakers were Mr Fulvio Alvisi, President of the Italian Textile Designer Association; Ms Wu Haiyan, a renowned Chinese designer; the Interior Textile Development Manager for The Woolmark Company in Australia, Mr Geoffrey Robinson; and his colleague, Mr Kazunori Ukisu from Japan.

China International Home Textile Design Competition 2006

The winning designs of the China International Home Textile Design Competition were displayed in two halls during the trade show. Winners, from all over the world, were announced on the first day of the show at an awards presentation hosted by Mr Yang Zhao Hua, Secretary General The Sub-council of Textile Industry, CCPIT-Tex. 

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles is organised by Messe Frankfurt, The Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT and the China Home Textile Association (CHTA). The next fair will be held at Shanghai New International Expo Centre 29 - 31 August 2007.

Should you require pictures of the show please contact Jennifer Lam at jennifer.lam@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com.
- end -

Press contacts:
Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd.
Ms Jennifer Lam / Ms Mandy Queen
Tel (852) 2238 9956 / 9972
Fax (852) 2519 8632
jennifer.lam@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com
mandy.queen@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com
www.messefrankfurt.com.hk

Statements from the exhibitors