No trade show in the United States seems to be safe from the specter of the coronavirus pandemic, including Techtextil North America and Texprocess Americas, both of which have been postponed by show organizer Messe Frankfurt North America until their next planned appearances in 2021 and 2022.
Techtextil North America and Texprocess Americas were initially scheduled to run concurrently in Atlanta from Oct. 1-3 at the Georgia World Congress Center. However, Georgia has since become a major coronavirus hotspot, according to the latest available data from Johns Hopkins University. On July 13, Georgia reported 3,358 new cases in a single day, a record for the state.
“We have been monitoring the global spread of COVID-19 that began earlier this year, and to uphold our commitment to the industry, we postponed [the events] to October 1-3, 2020,” Messe Frankfurt North America show director Kristy Meade wrote in a letter sent to exhibitors. “However as coronavirus cases in the U.S continue to rise, we are once again faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to proceed as planned.”
Though Messe Frankfurt firmly believes its health and safety protocols would have exceeded recommended guidelines, Meade said outside factors like travel restrictions, quarantine mandates and international government regulations have made in-person events nearly impossible.
Techtextil North America is the region’s only dedicated show for technical textiles and nonwovens, while Texprocess Americas serves professionals in the sewn products industry by connecting the sector with manufacturers of equipment and machinery.
Like many of their trade show peers, Techtextil North America and Texprocess Americas may be supplemented by a virtual component later this year, Meade suggested.
“While we understand there is no replacing the sense of community provided by an in-person event like ours in 2020, we intend to continue to serve the industry by providing opportunities to share products, discover the latest innovations and technologies, and network with other industry professionals until we are all able to come together again,” she said.
As of July 14, Messe Frankfurt North America expects Techtextil North America to reconvene on Aug. 15-17, 2021, in Raleigh, N.C.
Texprocess Americas, which is co-produced by sewn product supplier association SPESA, will be delayed nearly two years until May 17-19, 2022, again co-located with the 2022 edition of Techtextil North America.