STYLEPARK HEIMTEXTIL
More than a Platform

Anna Moldenhauer: Mr. Schmidt, You are familiar with both sides of the textile industry – on the one hand, you are Vice President Textiles and Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH, on the other hand you are a textile engineer and have worked for many years as managing director and/or a board member of textile companies. What do you think today’s textile trade fairs should offer?

Olaf Schmidt: A trade-fair organizer should not just be a company that rents out space. Apart from the opportunity to network and acquire new customers, our events also offer concepts for topics relevant to the industry that are attractive to exhibitors and visitors alike – such as talks, showcases or conference formats. Alongside the exhibition of the final interior products, we also provide an opportunity for further training, for instance on topics such as production and recycling. The wide range of services also creates synergies between the different product groups.

This year Heimtextil will take place at the same time as Techtextil and Texprocess. What synergies would you like to create?

Olaf Schmidt: While each of the three events has its own target audiences, there are of course certain crossovers – both thematically and on the part of exhibitors and visitors. And we want to place greater emphasis on these at the Heimtextil Summer Special. Let's say that a Heimtextil customer wants to make up his goods. He will find the cutting machines, sewing machines or embroidery machines he needs at Texprocess. Likewise, there are synergies for suppliers of functional textiles at Techtextil with regard to sustainable fashion, say at the Neonyt-Lab from 24 to 26 June in the Union Hall. It is exciting for everyone involved if we can highlight these connections so that it’s easier to appreciate the value-added chain.

After the Summer Special from June 21 to 24, 2022, the next Heimtextil will be held again on a regular basis in January 2023. Doesn't the short interval put the manufacturers under a little too much pressure?

Olaf Schmidt: After it became evident that the pandemic would once again prevent us from holding Heimtextil in January 2022, we conducted a survey among our customers to find out whether it would be an option to exhibit in the summer. The feedback was very positive, even though a Summer Special cannot offer the same scope as the regular trade fair in January. After two years of enduring an enforced break there is very great international demand from all sides of the industry – and this confirms the popularity of what the trade fair itself offers as a service. This prompted us to give about 800 exhibitors the opportunity to present their products in a smaller setting. Together with Techtextil and Texprocess, there will be over 2,000 exhibitors.

Are there changes in the structure of the textile trade fairs at Messe Frankfurt that came about during the pandemic and which you would like to retain?

Olaf Schmidt: Even before the pandemic, everyone was talking about how much digitization was also on the increase in the trade show sector – and it has certainly received a boost in the wake of the pandemic. Digital elements will continue to complement the trade show industry, but to varying degrees depending on the sector. At the same time, over the last two years what we have seen is that digital tools and platforms cannot replace a physical trade show. People need the personal contact, they want to actually put eyes on the collections rather than viewing them on a screen, and they want to be able to grasp the feel of the fabrics in the most literal sense. In addition, a trade fair also offers an uncomplicated means of swapping ideas with competitors on neutral ground.

Which regulations will visitors to the Heimtextil Summer Special have to observe?

Olaf Schmidt: With the removal of entry restrictions, visitors can once again move freely around the trade fair, which will mean an enormous relief for everyone.

To what extent can the textile trade fairs of Messe Frankfurt offer a sustainable range of products and services?

Olaf Schmidt: For years Messe Frankfurt has been committed to sustainable and environmentally-friendly services and products at all levels: from the use of renewable energy sources for power supply and a high recycling rate for the set-up and dismantling of booths through to close cooperation with the UN Office for Partnerships and the Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network. We are working to support achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by informing and encouraging the textile and fashion sector to implement solutions for social, economic and environmental change. The textile industry has not positioned itself ideally for many years and a major and important transformation is currently taking place. We would like to highlight and support this development at our trade fairs. For a good ten years now, Heimtextil has also featured the “Green Village”, a platform for both organizations that award quality marks and certification bodies. The “Green Directory” offers an online directory listing all suppliers of sustainably produced textiles, and the “Green Tours” at the fair take visitors directly to the companies producing sustainably. The Heimtextil Conference “Sleep & More” will also address topics such as what a sustainable hotel room can look like and how mattresses can become part of the circular economy. We initiate change processes and reflect them on the platform of the trade fair. Of course, in addition to the environmentally conscious presentation, the exhibitors themselves remain responsible for carrying out their production as sustainably as possible. The issue of sustainability is highly complex and often a question of definition. For example, there are those who say that it is not sustainable for international visitors to travel to the trade fairs every year - but this raises the question of whether travel behavior will not become more frequent in other places if the regular opportunity of the industry meeting is eliminated.

What can visitors expect in the Trend Space of the Heimtextil Summer Special 2022?

Olaf Schmidt: The Trend Space in Hall 4.0 is being presented by SPOTT trends & business under the title “Next Horizons” and will be managed by Anja Bisgaard Gaede. The focus is clearly on the topics of sustainability and conserving resources. Solely local resources, environmentally friendly or borrowed materials will be used for the stand design. Visitors can expect a showcasing of colors, materials, curated exhibits along with lectures and DIY activities. We are also offering an advance Heimtextil podcast online in which Anja Bisgard Gaede highlights the current topics and provides practical preparation basics for a visit to the trend area.

What part of the Heimtextil Summer Special 2022 are you particularly looking forward to?

Olaf Schmidt: The entire team is looking forward to seeing customers and visitors again. We have really missed this personal exchange over the last months and the Heimtextil Summer Special 2022 will finally offer an excellent opportunity for just that.

Heimtextil Summer Special
21 - 24 June 2022

Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage 1
60327 Frankfurt am Main