Located in hall 3 and seating up to 40, visitors can attend the Sportswear Pro Forum free-of-charge with a valid Sportswear Pro, European Sign Expo or FESPA Global Print Expo 2020 entry ticket. The English-only sessions will begin at 11:00 on the first day of show (Tuesday 24 March) and will take place every half hour throughout the duration of the entire event, until 3:30 on Friday 27 March.

Michael Ryan, Event Manager for Sportswear Pro, says: “Sportswear Pro is not just about new technologies and exciting innovations on display – we want to share a wealth of industry knowledge with our visitors that will inspire them to pursue new opportunities to grow their businesses. The Sportswear Pro Forum is a brilliant platform for achieving this and we’re very excited about the speakers we have lined up.”

“We are also very pleased to welcome our Gold Sponsors, HP and Mimaki, who will be running daily sessions throughout the course of the event.”

Customisation

The ability to print customised garments is a key trend that is currently shaping the sportswear industry. The opening day of the event will see an hour-long round table panel discussion (12:00 – 13:00, Tuesday 24 March) between spokespeople from Roland, Summa, Caldera and Gemini CAD. The focus will be primarily on the possibilities of workflow, production enhancements and the extent to which sportswear can be customised. The panellists will also identify some of the key challenges of customisation and the best ways to overcome them.

Special attention will also be given to the disruptive power of digital printing technology in the custom sportswear and apparel markets in a seminar hosted by Caldera (16:00 – 16:30, Tuesday 24 March). The session will provide an overview of the trends (mass customisation, e-commerce, automation, etc.) and the technologies (inkjet, dye-sublimation, web applications) that are currently shaping custom sportswear.

Sustainability

With environmental responsibility becoming a key talking point across multiple industries in recent years, the Sportswear Pro Forum’s dedicated round table session (12:00 – 13:00, Wednesday 25 March) will explore the sportswear industry’s ambitions for sustainability and what businesses can do to reach them. A selection of panellists featuring Sensient, Berger Textiles and Ashara Lifestyle will take a look at the inks and fabrics being employed in the industry, the impact they are having on the environment and whether alternative solutions can be adopted.

Also tying in with the sustainability theme will be a seminar titled ‘The Dos and Don’ts of DTG Printing on Sportswear’ (16:00 – 16:30, Wednesday 25 March). With a focus on the capabilities of Direct-to-Garment printing, the session will give an overview of DTG’s sustainability credentials, such as its ability to reduce textile printing’s environmental footprint, as well as its ability to print on a wide range of fabrics, including polyester and other blends.

Digital Innovation

The third day of the event will be dedicated to digital innovation and its transformative effect on sportswear production. Alvanon and Under Armour will be teaming up to highlight the advantages of standardising fits across brands by using 3D digital avatars, in a seminar titled ‘Rewriting the Rules of 3D’ (11:30 – 12:00, Thursday 26 March). The session will illustrate how digitising the sizing process is able to save time, increase accuracy and significantly reduce waste, all of which are necessary improvements for today’s sustainable supply chain.

The Fashion and Design Masterclass for Sportswear Apparel (16:00 – 16:30, Thursday 26 March) will instead be a hands-on interactive session on how AI-powered design tools empower users to get the very best results from artwork and designs before submitting them to be printed directly onto garments. Hosted by Morning Star Design, the Masterclass will also provide tips and tricks on how to apply designs for screen printing, embroidery and transfer printing.

 On-demand Production

With more customers expecting their items to be personalised and delivered within 24-hour timeframes, more businesses are offering on-demand production and mass customisation as part of their services. The conference on smart manufacturing (11:30 – 12:00, Friday 27 March) will explore the numerous ways in which sportswear production can be streamlined and made more efficient. Production automation, traceability and mass customisation are just a few of the topics to be covered in the session hosted by Sportswear of Tomorrow.

One of the final sessions of the Sportswear Pro Forum will be a panel discussion dedicated to on-demand production (12:00 – 13:00, Friday 27 March) featuring expert spokespeople from brands such as Kornit and Gemini CAD. The participants will take a look at on-demand production as a trend that transcends industries, just as relevant to sportswear manufacturers as it is to print service providers, before discussing how it impacts the whole supply chain.

The complete Sportswear Pro Forum programme can be found here: https://www.sportswearpro.com/sportswear-pro-forum2020   

For more information on Sportswear Pro and to register to attend visit: https://www.sportswearpro.com . For free entry, use code SWPM206.