Attracting over 7,000 attendees and 555 exhibitors, IDEA16 broke all prior exhibitor and attendee records for its recently wrapped up triennial event that took place from 2-5 May at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

Attendees from more than 60 countries came to the City of Science for three days of exhibits, market intelligence, education, and face-to-face interaction. “This record-setting turnout confirms IDEA as the world’s preeminent event for nonwovens and engineered fabrics,” said INDA president Dave Rousse.

“We are delighted with the enthusiasm of exhibitors and visitors alike regarding the value of this show to advance their business interests. The new Boston venue was well-accepted. We are all fortunate to be in a dynamic, innovation-driven industry with continued great prospects, as evidenced by the many announcements of new products, new machinery and new capabilities during the show.”

Attendance

A total of 555 companies exhibited their products and services at IDEA16, an increase of 15% over IDEA13. This year IDEA occupied all 500,000 square feet at the Boston Exhibition and Convention Center, about 25% more than in Miami Beach.

“With the increase of 6% in registrants, this provided the larger crowd with additional space to move about and comfortably interact with each other,” said Rousse.  The next edition of IDEA will return to a newly renovated Miami Beach Convention Center, in Miami Beach, FL, from 26-28 March 2019.

Presentation of awards

Event highlights included the presentation of awards for outstanding achievements. Mogul, a Turkish nonwovens producer, and Diaper Recycling Technology/MobiAir, a Singapore manufacturer of modular plug-and-play air handling systems, were both presented with Entrepreneur awards by Nonwovens Industry Magazine. The IDEA16 Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to Leo Cancio, advisor at Clopay Plastic Products.

INDA’s IDEA16 Achievement Awards, presented in partnership with Nonwovens Industry magazine, recognized the brightest innovations from the leading companies, individuals, and new products in the nonwovens and engineered fabrics industry. In online voting, the following companies were selected as winners from the finalists:

Equipment: ITW Dynatec’s Ultra Strand Coating System – This patent-pending strand applicator is specifically designed for the disposable hygiene market.

Roll Goods: Jacob Holm’s SoftLite lightweight nonwovens – With basis weights as low as 15 grams, SoftLite fabrics are lighter while also providing high performance and soft comfort for hygiene uses.

Raw Materials: BASF’s SAVIVA SAP Technology – Based on its round shaped particles, with micro-pores, SAVIVA has an innovative liquid distribution mechanism, making it a highly efficient superabsorbent polymer in a diaper core.

Short Life Converted Products: WipeMeWorld’s WipeMe flushable wipe on a roll – These wipes can be dispensed and flushed the same way as traditional toilet paper.

Long Life Converted Products: Impossible Objects, LLC’s Composite-Based Additive Manufacturing (CBAM) 3D printed pieces – This new, industrial 3D printing technology uses nonwoven fabrics, such as carbon, glass, and aramid, to make strong yet lightweight fibre-reinforced composite parts. 

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