Milan – Stand space applications for ITMA 2023, which will take place in Milan, the fashion capital of Italy, opened on the 3rd March.

The event, which last time attracted upwards of 100,000 attendees, is the largest textile and garment technology exhibition globally and is commonly referred to as the ‘Olympics’ of the industry calendar due to its size and the fact it’s held on a quadrennial basis.

Chairman of ITMA Services, Charles Beauduin, said: “Many textile technology builders are using these couple of years to consolidate their business, and to advance their research and development efforts to stay competitive. As such, by the time ITMA 2023 is held, they will be ready to showcase their latest innovations in Milan.”

Following on from a successful outing in Barcelona in 2019, ITMA is set to open its application process to secure stand space once more, this time for its showcase in Milan.

The organising body says it has received enquiries from interested participants since last year, and will soon be tasked with the long process of assigning exhibitors space at its typically vast trade fairs.

“The pandemic has changed the world in many unprecedented ways. At the same time, it has underscored the importance of face-to-face meetings, which all of us will appreciate more than ever once it becomes possible again,” noted Beauduin.

He added that “we are now moving into a new world where the digital space has become more commonplace”, which aligns with plans for new solutions to be integrated within ITMA’s trade fair.

ITMA 2023 will feature 20 chapters, and will accommodate new technologies in the fields of composites, auxiliary machinery and even recycling – as the industry looks to increase its uptake of regenerated waste materials.

Beauduin explained: “ITMA 2023 features solutions for an entire textile and garment manufacturing value chain. The composite industry is bursting with opportunities. While composite solutions have been showcased at past ITMA editions, we are now making it easier for buyers to source these technologies by clustering them in one sector.”

With the theme ‘Transforming the World of Textiles’, ITMA organisers say they expect a strong response to their next event, which was reportedly demonstrated at its recent virtual launch.