GarmentTech Istanbul Exhibition will Create a Unique Opportunity and Trade Potential for Our Industry
KOMID Vice President Tuncay Koru said, “There are expectations that the global stagnation, which started especially after the second half of 2023, will be replaced by growth again in the spring of 2025. GarmentTech Istanbul Exhibition, which will take place between 25-28 June 2025, will create a unique opportunity and trade potential for our industry.”
Established in 2020, the Turkish Garment Automation Machinery Manufacturers Association (KOMID); It serves as a voluntary business organization dedicated to continuous technological progress, consisting of Turkey’s leading and most powerful garment machinery, automation, equipment, software, and system manufacturers.
KOMID Vice President Tuncay Koru evaluated the recent textile and garment sector developments. Stating that the number of exhibitors and visitors to the exhibitions abroad has decreased, Koru noted that this situation has created a great opportunity for the textile, garment, and technology exhibitions organized in Turkey. The highlights of Tuncay Koru’s statements are as follows:
“The Number of Exhibitors and Visitors of Exhibitions in Europe Has Decreased”
Stating that after the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been changes in many areas of the world, from working habits to daily lifestyles, from savings and consumption trends to travel and trade trends, Koru said, “Textile, garment, tourism, and exhibition organization can be counted among the locomotive sectors affected by these changes. In particular, the European exhibition industry was among those that lost blood after the pandemic. For example, after the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a decrease of more than 25% in the number of exhibitors at the Texprocess Fair organized by Messe Frankfurt. On the other hand, after the pandemic, in parallel with the number of participants, we witnessed a noticeable decrease in the number of visitors along with the total stand square meters.”
“Visa Restriction Negatively Affects Exhibitions”
Stating that Messe Frankfurt did not announce a decrease in the number of visitors due to the Techtextil Fair, which was held at the same time as Texprocess, Koru pointed out that they participated in two fairs and that there was no queue at the entrances of the fairground. Stating that there was a significant decrease in the number of visitors to the exhibitor stands during the fair, Tuncay Koru said, “One of the reasons for this decline; especially the visa restrictions imposed by the German government on visitors from the largest textile and apparel producing countries of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, as well as North Africa. In addition, it is understood that the inflation in international transportation and accommodation prices after the pandemic also impacted the decrease in the number of exhibitors and visitors.”
Pointing out that these developments create an opportunity for textile, garment machinery, and technology-like fairs organized in Turkey, which is one of the 6 largest countries in apparel manufacturing, Koru said, “This opportunity is for the fairs in Turkey to seize the international indicator-fair status of their counterparts in Europe.”
“The Number of Visitors Will Peak with Istanbul’s Vast Accommodation and Gastronomy Facilities”
Tuncay Koru continued his words as follows: “The wide-ranging reflection of the opportunity in question is that in addition to the usual and well-known contributions of the exhibition economy to the transportation, accommodation and similar sectors, especially we, the Turkish Garment Machinery and Automation manufacturers, will meet with their global customers in the “Home Field”, that is, in their own home. The abovementioned advantage is that domestic producers will be able to meet their customers at much lower costs, in larger square meters, and with much more variety compared to the exhibitions held abroad. What is even more important than this is; Just like the 2024 ITM International Textile Machinery Exhibition, it will have the potential to meet with many more visitors from more countries than equivalent exhibitions in Europe, which will mean increased export potential for the members of the Garment Automation Machinery Manufacturers Association. In addition to the ease of entry to the country applied by our country to foreign visitors compared to its European neighbors, the number of visitors will peak with the vast accommodation and gastronomy opportunities of Istanbul, which is a tourism capital, international trade and investment attraction center.
All these developments will create a unique opportunity and trade potential for our industry at the GarmentTech Istanbul Garment, Embroidery Machinery Spare Parts and Sub-Industry Exhibition, which will take place between 25-28 June 2025. The fact that this exhibition will be organized at the Istanbul Expo Center (IFC) by Teknik Fuarcılık, which has more than 30 years of exhibition experience and has made the International Textile Machinery Exhibition ITM a world brand, means that operational efficiency will be ensured in terms of both the faultless and complete organization of the exhibitions and the fact that the exhibition area is in the center of the city.
All the positive developments mentioned above are considered positive and exciting by both the Central Executive Committee and all members of our association KOMID. There are expectations that the global stagnation, which started especially after the second half of 2023, will be replaced by growth again in the spring of 2025. The fact that the GarmentTech Istanbul Exhibition is being held on time and in the right place as well as in the right hands strengthens our expectation that next year will be a golden year for our industry and that next spring will be another spring that is always expected.”