Global Connections Forged at Intertextile Home Textiles Concludes with Increased International Participation

As global business activities pick up towards the back end of the year, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition 2023 ended a successful three days of trade at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). From 16 – 18 August 2023, 1,034 exhibitors (up 38.1%) from 13 countries and regions crossed paths with over 32,000 visitors (up 59.2%) from 96 countries and regions, more than 10% of which were overseas buyers.

As the country perhaps most well-known for its immense market and prolific manufacturing hubs, for the past several decades China has been a desirable business destination for international traders. In a positive step in March, the government relaxed pandemic control measures, enabling a return to cross-border, in-person business activities. This led to a strong increase of international exhibitors and buyers at the recently concluded fair, with visitors flying in from as far away as Africa, Europe, and South America. In addition, three country and region pavilions, from Belgium, Taiwan (China), and Türkiye, added some location-specific internationality to proceedings in Shanghai, and were well-received by fairgoers.

Cross-sector collaboration a key highlight of the fringe programme

Enhancing the constant buzz on the show floor, the fair’s concurrently held fringe events saw upstream and downstream suppliers, industry Page 2 Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles 2023 Shanghai, China, 16 — 18 August 2023 insiders, and even inter-industry guests share some pertinent insights and innovations. This year, a series of mixed events delved into topics related to interior design trends, sustainability, new technologies, globalised and localised designs, health and wellness, and many more. One highlight was the International Intertextile Trend Forum 2023 – 2024, which illustrated the most in-vogue home designs for the upcoming season.

Exhibitors’ experiences

“This is the first time we have returned to Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles since the pandemic started. It is important for us to be here, where the biggest distributors around the world come meet with the major producers. There seem to be more quality buyers compared to previous editions, with more interest in making deals. Our products are exported to 80 countries, but we are here to connect with one of the world’s biggest markets, and we now know how to better face our Chinese customers.” Mr José Carlos Oliveira, CEO, Elastron Group, Portugal

“Meeting clients face to face in Shanghai shows our company’s strength and builds trust, which is fundamental to our business and why this fair is crucial for us. While our strongest market is the Middle East, our target market is now Asia. I feel like the potential in China is incomparable to anywhere else, and this fair is a must for connecting with that market. It’s a relatively new market for us, but exporting to China has been easier than expected.” Mr Süleyman Altiok, Sales Manager, Aleran Tekstil, Türkiye