CEMATEX, the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers, which is organising ITMA 2023, has launched ITMAconnect, a new digital space enabling exhibitors and visitors to engage with other attendees before, during and after the event. ITMA – the world’s largest textile trade show – returns next year from June 8-14 and is to be held at the Fiera Milano Rho in Milan, Italy.
With a record 1,717 companies in attendance at ITMA’s last outing in 2019, the event’s organisers are keen to strengthen its offering by establishing an online space in which exhibitors can further promote their products and services, as well as connect with their peers.
Ernesto Maurer, president of CEMATEX, said: “Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been exploring ways to add value to our participants in the digital space. We are excited that with the launch of ITMAconnect, we now offer the global textile community enhanced opportunities that extend beyond the physical exhibition.”
ITMAconnect will go live from November 15th this year, helping attendees benefit from more networking time as well as manage their schedule for Milan in advance. ITMA 2023 exhibitors will automatically become ITMAconnect subscribers and can subscribe to premium tiers of the platform to unlock new features.
Visitors, meanwhile, can purchase their tickets either with or without access to the platform included.
For those who don’t turn out in Milan, CEMATEX will be enabling people to purchase access to ITMAconnect in the aftermath of the event so that they can still virtually liaise with companies.
Oscar Ruis is the co-owner of Rius-Comatex, which will be exhibiting at ITMA 2023. He said: “As an online platform, ITMAconnect offers us even more value to our participation at ITMA 2023 as we can establish a brand presence all year round. It’s a useful platform for us to discover, target and reach out to more buyers, pre- and post-exhibition.”
Julieta Pagliuca, Project Manager of the Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association (ABIT), added: “It is great to learn that with ITMAconnect, we can now get in touch with ITMA 2023 exhibitors conveniently through the platform even before the exhibition. This will help our member’s plan their visits better since ITMA is such a big show and there are so many innovative technologies to explore.”
