Germany hosts successful Performance Days with innovative formats

The industry was enthusiastic about the new look of the trade fair, including many great opportunities for intensive exchange. The newly integrated footwear area with its own Footwear Forum, which provided information about innovations and highlights from the footwear sector, was particularly well received, event producer Design & Development GmbH Textile Consult said in a press release.

“The introduction of the new footwear area was warmly welcomed by both exhibitors and visitors. It seamlessly complements the existing offering in the apparel sector, and some apparel exhibitors have even joined the footwear area, creating a dynamic synergy. This unique opportunity greatly simplifies the search for materials, components, and suppliers for footwear designers and product managers, something no other trade show currently offers. The Footwear Forum has also received exceptionally positive feedback, praised as informative, innovative, and inspiring. Of course, there is room for expansion, but we are determined to move forward step by step,” said Nina Conrad, sustainability consultant in the textile and leather industry and co-initiator of the new Footwear Area.

Likewise, the tenor of the entire industry—the opportunity to examine innovations from the fibre and material sector, in addition to performance wear, also in terms of footwear, was convincing across the board.

The new formats, which were integrated into Performance Days for the first time, were also well received. In the Innovation Forum, for example, the focus was on pure innovations with an innovative character. In the Sustainability Lounge, 17 partners showed what is up to date in the field of sustainability and, above all, how they intend to drive the issue forward in the future. First and foremost, what counts is an intensive exchange of ideas within the industry and more courage to cooperate.

“I can only emphasise again and again how important it will be in the future to work together more closely as an industry on the topic of sustainability. The Sustainability Lounge has created the perfect framework for this; this feedback was incidentally also given to me by the partners. It was great to see how guests quite naturally sought out communication with each other, discussed with each other and ventured to make initial contact. Due to the open lounge atmosphere, which nevertheless offered space for privacy, workshops, intensive networking, and first acquaintances were possible, up to first cooperations. A great, future-proof format that we will definitely make available to the industry again in the spring,” said Anna Rodewald from GreenroomVoice, co-responsible for the Lounge.

The by-now renowned Expert Talks, which provided information on current colour and fabric trends, news on sustainable developments and new technologies from fibre manufacturers, were also very popular. On the second day of the fair, the Sustain&Innovate Conference, which was accompanied by SAZsport, also generated lively discussions.

In the heart of Hall A5, visitors listened intently to the informative presentations and discussion panels, including as usual the Fabric Talk with Alexa Dehmel, the Color Trend Talk with Nora Kuhner, and exciting ‘behind the scene stories’ with Charles Ross, who moderated the programme. As of this week, all Expert Talks are available digitally on demand via The Loop. Information on the Performance Forum including 3D materials as well as the fabric innovations shown therein, and the awards given by the expert jury can already be viewed online, added the release.

“I am very pleased that the Performance Days winter trade fair can once again shine with great visitor numbers and, above all, with a positive response from the industry. This shows that we are on the right track and that the platform has established itself more and more clearly as the industry’s number one meeting place. The fact that we have now added the footwear segment to our range confirms that we are making the right decisions when it comes to providing first-class information for exhibitors and visitors,” said Marco Weichert, managing director of Performance Days.

With The Loop, the trade show provides a 365-day platform that makes sourcing and exchange possible even after the official on-site trade show event. All important information about the Performance Forum, Footwear And Innovation Forum, the Focus Topic, Expert Talks as well as current pictures, including the new image video, will be available there during the week.

The next Performance Days will take place on March 20–21, 2024, at the Messe Munchen exhibition center in Halls C1+C2.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)