In conjunction with MEX Exhibitions, Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs announced that Gartex Texprocess India will be the first textile sector exhibition to take the hybrid route. Scheduled alongside Messe Frankfurt’s Screen Print India fair after a hiatus of one year due to trade and travel disruptions caused by the pandemic, both Mumbai and Delhi editions aim to bring the entire textile value chain together through their new co-located and hybrid formats.

A year after textile and printing sectors were hit by unprecedented business challenges, the much-awaited Mumbai edition is set to bring industry players face-to-face with new opportunities from 18-20 March at the Bombay Exhibition Centre. However, with the on-going travel restrictions that are still in place globally, the new-age multimodal exhibition will allow screen printing and textile sector exhibitors and visitors to take full advantage of both physical interactions and virtual networking opportunities.

In order to keep the trade momentum going in the second half of the buying calendar, the organisers have also confirmed that the New Delhi edition of the co-located fairs (initially slated in December 2020) will now be rescheduled to 6-8 August 2021 at Pragati Maidan with its new hybrid format.

The hybrid format for both the fairs are being specially curated by the organisers with live product demonstration features to allow exhibitors to showcase their innovations and new product range to buyers who may be unable to attend the physical fair, thus ensuring dual access to trade opportunities.

Raj Manek, executive director and board member, Messe Frankfurt Asia Holdings, said, “We are delighted to announce our first hybrid venture for the co-located shows — Gartex Texprocess India and Screen Print that will offer an intelligent combination of digital and physical interactions for business exchange. The textile and printing businesses thrives on the ‘touch-and-feel’ aspect of networking which makes the physical trade fair the number one choice for buyers. However, its virtual features will be the perfect extension to expand exhibitor visibility and networking opportunities with buyers.”

Highlighting the synergic effects, Gaurav Juneja, director, MEX Exhibitions added, “The demand to meet in-person for business networking is strong and I believe the hybrid format together with its co-location with Screen Print India fair will create the perfect business synergy for the sector. We are looking forward to welcoming the entire industry for a successful first hybrid edition and are confident it will provide multi-fold trade opportunities to the sector.”

Both Mumbai and Delhi editions will allow fair goers to explore a wide range of features like targeted business matchmaking, real-time video calling, scheduling meetings in advance, live knowledge sessions through the digital platform alongside the traditional physical event.