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The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) has announced that registration is now open for Smart Fabrics Virtual Summit 2020 taking place April 16-17, 2020 via webinar format. The Virtual Summit will be hosted by IFAI and includes the U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) as its government sponsor.

OTEXA, part of the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration (ITA), is dedicated to increasing the international competitiveness of the US fibre, textile, apparel, footwear, and travel goods industries. OTEXA works throughout Department of Commerce bureaus and U.S. agencies to develop a public policy environment that advances U.S. competitiveness at home and abroad.

"Smart fabrics have changed the state of play; not only in the textiles industry, but also in the areas of sports and fitness, transportation, healthcare, and defence," said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis Nazak Nikakhtar. "U.S. firms are developing innovative new products and manufacturing strategies that will revolutionize the way we communicate, better protect our soldiers, and deliver needed medications more safely and efficiently. ITA welcomes the chance to partner with IFAI in once again hosting the Smart Fabrics Virtual Summit."

The Virtual Summit provides a forum for public and private sector leaders in technology, apparel, and textiles to highlight recent developments in the smart fabrics industry, identify opportunities for collaboration, and discuss key industry challenges.

The theme for the 2020 Virtual Summit is ‘Ideation to Commercialization’ and will focus heavily on how to bring a ‘smart’ product to market. Reaching the market with a final product involves many steps and the Virtual Summit will take a deeper dive into how we conquer those steps.

This Virtual Summit will bring industries together towards potential opportunities for the smart fabrics industry. This event will also provide a forum that will spur original thinking among public and private sectors, as well as provide invaluable information.

To register, visit www.SmartFabricsSummit.com/Register. Select Government employees are eligible for a free registration. To find out if you are eligible, please contact Aaron Monson at [email protected].