The Rupp Report: It's Barcelona, But ...
By Jürg Rupp, Executive Editor
Yes, it’s Barcelona. In spite of the current ITMA 2007 in Munich, one question has loomed large for
the global textile industry for weeks and months: What will be the destination for ITMA 2011? In
the race was, of course, Milan, and, as a newcomer, Barcelona. And what many people could not
imagine happened: The winner is Barcelona.
The 16th ITMA presentation will be held in Barcelona in 2011. This will be the first time that an ITMA exhibition will be held in a Spanish — sorry, Catalan — city. ITMA 2011 will be held at the new Fira de Barcelona Gran Via, Sept. 23-30, 2011. According to the official press release of CEMATEX, the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers, ITMA “has adopted an innovative format in the selection of the organizer and venue, starting with the 2011 edition.”
Of course, this controversial decision will be the subject of much discussion. On the one hand, everybody knows that Italy and Germany strongly opposed this decision. Germany and Italy occupy more than 50 percent of the floor space at ITMA 2007. This fact was reason enough for them to fight for the “rights” as regular hosts of ITMA. On the other hand, CEMATEX is a democratic structure that bases its final decisions on member votes. This procedure eventually led to the election of Barcelona.
Eight years ago, the selection of Birmingham, England, raised similar objections. The British city broke the tradition of Germany, Italy and France as the destination of a European ITMA. This break from tradition made traditional host countries feel passed over, for whatever reason. And now, the Italians feel the same way.
But what happened? Does ITMA have to be in a region with a significant textile machinery manufacturing industry? Or, does ITMA have to be in a region with a significant textile manufacturing industry? Or, can an ITMA be located in a place that is simply a good location for an international exhibition?
Barcelona is no doubt one of the most attractive cities in the world. According to the organizers, the Catalan capital is the place for some of the largest trade exhibitions in the world, and it organizes events on the scale of ITMA quite regularly. On top of that, the Spanish host will be supported by Meeting Planners International Pte. Ltd. (MPI), the organizers of ITMA Asia.
The question remains: Will CEMATEX members unite to support an ITMA 2011 in Barcelona? Or will the disagreement continue and limit the ability of 2011 to be the next strong ITMA in Europe? And by the way, have you ever experienced tapas in a bar in Barcelona? They might just be as good as pasta in Milan.
September 18, 2007
The 16th ITMA presentation will be held in Barcelona in 2011. This will be the first time that an ITMA exhibition will be held in a Spanish — sorry, Catalan — city. ITMA 2011 will be held at the new Fira de Barcelona Gran Via, Sept. 23-30, 2011. According to the official press release of CEMATEX, the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers, ITMA “has adopted an innovative format in the selection of the organizer and venue, starting with the 2011 edition.”
Of course, this controversial decision will be the subject of much discussion. On the one hand, everybody knows that Italy and Germany strongly opposed this decision. Germany and Italy occupy more than 50 percent of the floor space at ITMA 2007. This fact was reason enough for them to fight for the “rights” as regular hosts of ITMA. On the other hand, CEMATEX is a democratic structure that bases its final decisions on member votes. This procedure eventually led to the election of Barcelona.
Eight years ago, the selection of Birmingham, England, raised similar objections. The British city broke the tradition of Germany, Italy and France as the destination of a European ITMA. This break from tradition made traditional host countries feel passed over, for whatever reason. And now, the Italians feel the same way.
But what happened? Does ITMA have to be in a region with a significant textile machinery manufacturing industry? Or, does ITMA have to be in a region with a significant textile manufacturing industry? Or, can an ITMA be located in a place that is simply a good location for an international exhibition?
Barcelona is no doubt one of the most attractive cities in the world. According to the organizers, the Catalan capital is the place for some of the largest trade exhibitions in the world, and it organizes events on the scale of ITMA quite regularly. On top of that, the Spanish host will be supported by Meeting Planners International Pte. Ltd. (MPI), the organizers of ITMA Asia.
The question remains: Will CEMATEX members unite to support an ITMA 2011 in Barcelona? Or will the disagreement continue and limit the ability of 2011 to be the next strong ITMA in Europe? And by the way, have you ever experienced tapas in a bar in Barcelona? They might just be as good as pasta in Milan.
September 18, 2007
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