Texcare International, a leading trade fair for the laundry, cleaning and textile rental sectors, has closed its doors after welcoming 15,700 visitors in Frankfurt this month.

According to organisers, the show welcomed 10% more international visitors than the previous edition. Overall, the number of trade visitors remained stable and almost 9,000 came from outside Germany, which means that international visitors account for 57% of the total.

“The atmosphere at Texcare International 2016 was outstanding and international growth reinforced the position of the event as the world’s leading trade fair for the sector. Top decision-makers from all over the world travelled to Frankfurt am Main to do business at the fair and gain new customers,” commented Wolfgang Marzin, President and CEO of Messe Frankfurt.

Attendance

The visitors travelled to Texcare International from 112 countries, to discover the latest products and innovations at the exhibition stands. After Germany, the top visitor nations included Italy, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, the UK, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria and Poland.

Outside Europe, the USA, Japan, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, China and India ranked among the biggest visitor nations at the textile-care fair. Overall, the proportion of international visitors from outside Europe rose from 15% to 22% with the largest non-European growth coming from Argentina and Kazakhstan.

Programme and events

For five days, 319 exhibitors from 28 countries presented their high-tech solutions and innovations for laundries, dry cleaners and textile service providers. The proportion of international exhibitors also reached a new record at 68%. The focal point of the exhibitors’ presentations was on networking all processes in accordance with Industry 4.0. impulses for the sustainable conversion to smart laundries.

The events held within the framework of Texcare International also proved to be very popular. The lectures at the Texcare Forum were attended by over 1,000 participants. The division into themed days was also very well received, according to organisers.

A highlight at Texcare International was the fashion show where manufacturers presented their collections and showed the latest trends in terms of colour, design and function for industrial, healthcare and catering workwear.

Feedback

According to organisers, 84% of exhibitors confirmed that they had achieved their goals for the fair, especially in terms of sales agreements signed, order books filled and numerous new international contacts made.

“Texcare International exceeded the expectations of its exhibitors by a wide margin. The high level of visitor internationality shows the great worldwide interest and demand for new, future-oriented technologies, as reflected by subjects such as Industry 4.0 and the on-going process of digitalisation on which the fair focused,” said Elgar Straub, Director General of VDMA Garment and Leather Technology.

The majority of exhibitors also said that the economic situation in the sector is very good. “We are delighted with the course of business at the fair. The echo from exhibitors and visitors has been excellent,” said Andreas Schumacher, Managing Director of the German Dry Cleaning Association.

www.texcare.com