Interview with Ms Wilmet Shea, General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd
Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles is one of Asia’s major international home textile events, covering a comprehensive range of home and contract textiles from both Chinese and overseas manufacturers. Co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Home Textile Association (CHTA) since October 1995, the fair has grown significantly from its traditional trade show roots. It is now a comprehensive business platform that covers textile sourcing, trend insight, design inspiration, whole home products, and innovations to benefit the entire industry. International industry players have gathered in Shanghai each year to take advantage of the dynamic commercial opportunities that this fair affords, with many using the platform as an express gateway to tap into the Chinese market.
1. Please let us know more details about the Intertextile Shanghai Home Textile exhibition, its history and it’s success story.
Despite travel limitations, the previous edition in 2021 attracted 735 exhibitors and over 20,000 buyers. With China easing border restrictions, we expect attendance to bounce back to previous levels for the upcoming Autumn Edition at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai. From 16 – 18 August 2023, around 1,000 suppliers from 13 countries and regions will be showcasing their innovative products at the 100,000 sqm plus fairground. As organizers, this excites us, as does the opportunity to welcome global buyers back for the autumn sourcing season.
2. Let us know more about your events, exhibitions, and conferences in the textile industry organized by Messe Frankfurt in China.
Messe Frankfurt has put huge efforts into extending the reach of our textile fairs through our global Texpertise Network. Through this network, our company has linked over 50 shows across 11 countries, connecting more than 500,000 people around the world. The network has an especially strong foothold in Asia – one which will only be made stronger by the launch of the Vietnam International Trade Fair for Apparel, Textiles and Textile Technologies (VIATT) in 2024.
Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd is the company’s Greater China headquarters, employing more than 500 staff and organising over 50 shows in 11 major cities throughout Asia, including of course Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles. Our office has a strong presence across all the main textile industry sub-sectors, with our Intertextile brand representing apparel fabrics and home textiles; Yarn Expo representing fibres and yarns; Cinte Techtextil China representing technical textiles and nonwovens; DS Printech China representing textile printing; and now VIATT representing the entire textile value chain.
Intertextile Shanghai: An International Home Textile Event
3. How do you evaluate the home textile industry globally and in Asia in general?
In general, the global economy is gradually recovering since the end of the pandemic-enforced disruption. And with the resumption of in-person trade, and improving lifestyles and living standards of consumers, we believe that the home textile industry will see further growth in the coming seasons. As you can see, the global home textile market is expected to reach USD 174.1 billion following a CAGR of 5.6% from 2023 – 2028 (Source) .
Asia-Pacific has dominated the global market in recent years, with China its most significant contributor. In fact, most of the exhibitors and buyers we spoke to at the Spring fair expected growth, and were eager to make early inroads in the Chinese market. Participants are aware that trade fairs such as Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles provide efficient access to a multitude of opportunities in China and beyond.
4. Can you share with us statistics and numbers about the China home textile industry? (like export and import numbers, number of fiıoring manufacturers, government supports, and investment opportunities for the home textile industry … )
We found that the figures for the Chinese home textile industry are quite promising. China’s market size is estimated at USD 52 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach USD 74.1 billion by 2028 after compounding at 7.35% per year. This growth rate is higher than the global average and shows that the Chinese market is set to continue its dominance.(Source)
In addition to the industry’s generally positive longer-term outlook, we are happy to see the Chinese government’s support facilitating business growth in the short term. To offer an example, the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China recently announced a number of measures to help companies promote foreign trade, which include supporting trade fairs, making traveling more convenient for business personnel, encouraging the further development of e-commerce, and more.
Going further, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement between China and 14 other Asia-Pacific nations is the largest free trade bloc in the world. RCEP is expected to bring huge trade, investment, and production benefits to all of its members. For China, one especially notable point is the boost it’s expected to give to the business-friendly Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and its world-renowned textile industry.
Indeed, the industry as a whole has been facing several internal and external challenges, but we believe there is still room for growth as consumption recovers. Within the home and contract sub-sector, global players anticipating further market recovery will be best served to reach their business and sourcing goals by participating at Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles, Asia’s leading home textiles trade fair.
5. Why trade exhibitions in China and especially Shanghai City are important? And what are your main mission and goals for organizing this event?
China’s huge population of over 1.4 billion, and its steadily rising demand for textile and clothing products, make the country a consistently business-friendly market. And with consumers’ living standards improving and spending power rising, the demand for high-quality, design-oriented home textiles has shown especially strong growth.
In aid of this, the fair provides a great opportunity for manufacturers to increase sales, and for buyers to source diverse, well-priced products to satisfy the refined tastes of high-end customers. China is the world’s textile manufacturing hub, while Shanghai and its surrounding area is particularly well-known for producing quality textiles, providing the ideal backdrop for some of the world’s premier textile trade platforms.
Shanghai has a long history as the nation’s leading city for foreign trade. With the government directing many preferential trade policies towards the city, its foreign investment rates have benefitted, evidenced in part by its multitude of large multinationals and overseas-funded financial institutions. Since the pandemic, the city’s foreign trade has registered a steady recovery. In the first five months of 2023, Shanghai’s foreign trade totaled around USD 240.5 billion, up 15.8% year on year.
By leveraging our strong international Texpertise Network, and the comprehensive domestic resources of our co-organizers the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT, and the China Home Textile Association (CHTA), we will continue to provide a platform to connect the Chinese and international markets. Concurrently, the show’s forward-thinking fringe program will help facilitate China’s home textile growth and equip the industry for the future, by keeping fairgoers abreast of the latest market trends and national policies.
Textiles sourcing is ideally an in-person, tactile experience, and therefore trade fairs such as ours are crucial gathering points for a healthy industry. We hope that key players from around the world can utilise the Autumn Edition of Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles to reconnect and conduct business without time or location constraints.
6. Could you please explain more about the situation of the exhibition industry in the post-pandemic period in general?
With cross-border travel limited during the pandemic period, China’s MICE sector went through an unsteady period. But since the country’s relaxation of travel restrictions earlier this year, in-person business activities have resumed, leading to the steady recovery of trade fair activities. Trade fairs are widely recognised as an important means for promoting economic growth, domestic consumption, as well as international trade and cooperation.
Based on figures from our company, such as our predicted EUR 600 million sales revenue for 2023, and from the general exhibition sector, physical trade fairs are resuming their regular cycles, and once again fully supporting industry growth. A case in point is the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received from our exhibitors and buyers at the Spring Edition in March, who proved once again that face-to-face communication is a crucial vehicle for business exchange.
There are still post-pandemic challenges to overcome, such as the travel industry taking some time to reach its previous capacity, and Chinese visa applications sometimes taking longer to process. However, we are confident that these are just temporary barriers that will soon be resolved.
People have already demonstrated their renewed hunger for trade fairs. Taking Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition as an example, exhibitor numbers increased nearly 30% and over 40% for visitors when compared to its previous edition held during the pandemic.
Exhibitors also mentioned to us that since business is returning to normal, they need to use the opportunity to reconnect with the global industry. As for the upcoming Autumn Edition, more international participation is expected. For instance, we will welcome back three country and region pavilions, namely Belgium, Taiwan (China) and Türkiye, with exhibitors from each country gathered together to showcase their quality products.
7. digitalization, sustainability and recycling are trends these days in the textile industry, what is your policy about these important subjects? do you have any event besides the show covering mentioned subjects?
In collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, supported by the Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network, Messe Frankfurt’s Texpertise Network informs and mobilizes the textile sector to implement solutions for social, economic and environmental change, and creates awareness for the Sustainable Development Goals at all our textile trade fairs worldwide.
In order to align with these goals, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles has given its support to sustainable development. This includes encouraging companies who offer green products and services to exhibit at the show, and organizing concurrent events with sustainability-related topics. At our recent Spring Edition, a special pavilion featuring Lenzing and some of its downstream partners showcased a wide range of home textile products made from cellulose fibres, demonstrating the industry’s sustainable potential.
Beyond home textiles, the upcoming Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Autumn Edition will once again be home to the All About Sustainability zone, where buyers can conveniently source a range of green products from a congregation of eco-minded exhibitors. The concurrently held Yarn Expo Autumn is also set to showcase some of the most innovative sustainable yarns and fibres on the market.
Intertextile Shanghai Pre Registration
