Companies planning to exhibit at the 60th anniversary edition of ITMA, to be held Sept. 22-29, 2011, in Barcelona, Spain, now can download an application form to reserve show space at the show's website, www.itma.com. ITMA 2011, under the slogan "Master the Art of Innovation," is expected to showcase more than 1,400 exhibitors in more than 100,000 square meters of exhibition space. The event will take place at Barcelona's Fira de Barcelona Gran Via Fairground, a location just minutes away from the city center.

"We are looking forward to the next show in 2011, and believe the city of Barcelona will also attract a great number of buyers from the established and rapidly emerging markets of Central and South America because of its historical, linguistic and cultural links with these countries," said Johann-Philipp Dilo, president, Dilo Group.

In honor of its 60th anniversary and to attract quality visitors to the event, show owner and organizer the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers (CEMATEX) and co-organizer Singapore-based MP International Pte. Ltd. are arranging various events surrounding the show including: ITMA awards for top industry achievers; ITMA Forum and targeted workshops; and an augmented Research and Education Pavilion. CEMATEX also announced changes to the Index of Products. Embroidery and Braiding equipment will be featured in their own separate sectors, and the garment-making and textile-processing sectors have been expanded.

"We are supporting the vision with a wide range of initiatives that will bring both buyers and sellers to this leading-edge platform," said Sylvia Phua, CEO, MP International. "For a start, we are working very closely with our industry partners, especially trade associations worldwide."

To ensure global participation at the exhibition, MP International is working with the nine member associations of CEMATEX -- Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, Belgian Textile Machinery Association, British Textile Machinery Manufacturers Association, French Textile Machinery Manufacturers Association, German Engineering Federation Textile Machinery Association, the Netherlands-based Groep Textielmachines, Spanish Textile Machinery Association, Switzerland-based Swissmem and Textile Machinery Association of Sweden -- as well as the American Textile Machinery Association, China Textile Machinery Association, Japan Textile Machinery Association, Korea Textile Machinery Association and Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry. Companies in India, Turkey and South America also will be able to work with an ITMA dedicated sales agent to get help participating in the show.

"ITMA is quite simply a 'one-stop-shop' which attracts leading buyers from all over the world and from all areas of the textile industry, including the important nonwovens and technical textiles sector," Dilo added.

December 1, 2009