The organisers of next year’s ITM exhibition in Istanbul have confirmed that they are working to add additional hall space for the region’s largest textile machinery showcase. With the show experiencing a high demand for exhibitor space, organisers Teknik Fairs Inc. and Tüyap Tüm Fuarcılık Yapım Inc are looking to open up an extra hall following a sell-out of the current capacity.
“The ITM 2020 Exhibition, which has reached full occupancy rate in almost all the halls, continues to attract great interest from the world textile technology manufacturers,” organisers said in a statement. The ITM 2020 will be held next year from June 2 to 6 in Istanbul and is widely anticipated to set new records in terms of visitor and exhibitor numbers. The last edition in 2018 saw a record 59,000 visitors from 94 countries pass through the doors to visit stands from more than 1,100 exhibitors.
As the world’s seventh largest textile manufacturer, Turkey is currently the second biggest supplier of textiles and apparel to the EU. It is also the fourth largest buyer of textile machinery. The latest figures from TURKSTAT (Turkish Statistical Instıtute) show that the country invested $1.9 bn in machinery imports in 2018 with $523.2 mn spent on machinery used in preparation of yarns and fibres. Weaving machines ranked as the second in monetary terms with $316.9 mn with flat and circular knitting machines imports worth $316.1. In 2018, Turkey also exported textiles and apparel worth $168 bn with the target for 2019 set at $200 bn.
