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Game on! The Innovate Textile & Apparel virtual trade show makes its mark

With less than 50 days before the kick-off of the textile and apparel industry’s first ever innovation-based virtual trade show: Innovate Textile & Apparel (ITA), the event – which will run from 15-30 October 2020 - is shaping up to be the virtual show of the year, organisers say.

31st August 2020

Innovation in Textiles
 |  United Kingdom

Sports/​Outdoor, Protective, Medical/Hygiene, Transport/​Aerospace, Clothing/​Footwear, Sustainable, Interiors, Construction, Civil Engineering, Industrial, Packaging, Agriculture

With less than 50 days before the kick-off of the textile & apparel industry’s first ever innovation-based virtual trade show: Innovate Textile & Apparel (ITA), the event – which will run from 15-30 October 2020 - is shaping up to be the virtual show of the year, according to the event organisers.

Event organisers, World Textile Information Network (WTiN) are building their own virtual platform with exhibitors and visitors in mind and the show is gathering support from more than 100 leading industry organisations and associations such as the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA), the International Apparel Federation (IAF), American Apparel Producers’ Network (AAPN), the UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT), the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), International Federation of Association of Textile Chemists and Colourists (IAFTCC) and the Brazilian Technical Textiles and Nonwovens Associations (ABNIT). Ricoh Japan have shown faith in WTiN’s work and have signed up as the Show Sponsor.

Exhibitors

Exhibitor booths, which are functional, have several inbuilt design elements, with room for individual customisation. These design elements include several functionalities such as videos, brochures and other exhibitor content and seminar platforms. These features ensure visitors can find out everything they need to know about the exhibitor, through a variety of mediums, including finding out about the exhibitors latest technological or material innovations.

For anything else, or for more information on the innovations, exhibitors will be present on the booth and have an inbuilt chat and video meeting function for networking with visitors and potential customers. This function is key to the success of a virtual show, as the ability to network and talk directly to new and existing customers is an integral part of the success of traditional, ‘in-person’ trade shows.

WTiN’s virtual platform is providing all of these functions, and many more besides. This means that exhibitors and visitors alike have no need to leave the show for further discussions but can conduct all their meetings within the platform.

What’s more, exhibitors will benefit from real-time analytics and dashboard information on visitors to the booth.

Content

As well as a rich exhibitor list, including some of the biggest names across the industry, the trade show will also be home to an expansive range of content.

The Conference area is curated with over 100 presentations, with topics spanning the length and breadth of the textile and apparel industry from raw fibre through to retail. These presentations will all be based around innovation in either technology, materials, or the new and emerging business models required to accommodate these new technologies and the changing demands of the industry and the end consumer.

ITA will also host daily live roundtables with topics such as the smart factory in the textile & apparel value chain; digitalisation; localised manufacturing, reshoring and scalability; the circular economy; post-Covid-19 strategies for growth; challenges in PPE production; consumer behaviour shifts in the activewear sector; biodegradability; the future of antimicrobial finishes and many more.

With these live roundtables, the audience can also take the discussion further by creating a live thread where anyone can participate, not just speakers, in a bid to open-up debate and stimulate more discussion points and the opportunity for further networking and interaction.

Gamification

Interaction and participation are vital to the success of any trade show and it is important to WTiN that this function is enhanced by a virtual show, rather than being forgotten. 

As a result, ITA has a gamification feature that WTiN calls ‘Engagement Points’ (EP); it will encourage participant engagement in all aspects of the trade show, including visiting booths, watching seminars, attending roundtable discussions and networking.

While enhancing exhibitor outcomes, the gamification feature will also support the visitor experience, ensuring they get the most out of ITA. The points measure time spent connecting with others across the platform with a consistent, competitive and coherent metric.

Essentially, for every booth visited or roundtable attended, visitors will earn EP, which are linked to a unique, personal profile. These points help track activity, ensuring the visitor maintains value consistency over the duration of the show.

If enough points are earned, visitors will have the chance to rank on the visitor leaderboard – an area of the EP Centre that exemplifies strong engagement and rewards not only an elevated visitor status, but the potential to earn real, tangible prizes.

Chinky Tyagi, head of Business Development at WTiN, says: “Maximising the visitor experience is crucial to us and we believe that with all the features we have built into the show, such as the conference, roundtables, functional booths, networking opportunities and Engagement Points among much more, we have created a holistic, exciting and profitable experience for both the exhibitor and visitor. We look forward to showing the industry what we have been working on!”

For more information on the ITA, please visit: https://vts.wtin.com/.

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