3 June 2005, Singapore - Come October, ITMA ASIA 2005 is gearing up for another mega international showcase in Singapore. The 2^nd Asian international exhibition of textile machinery, ITMA ASIA, will be held from 17 to 21 October 2005. Space sales for this second show are over 20 percent greater than for the show in 2001, and to date the event has attracted the participation of 753 participants from 33 economies to display their latest textile machinery, related products and services.

Show owner, The European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers (CEMATEX), attributed the support from the industry to the strong interest in Asia, which has the biggest gathering of textile economies and the leading export source of textiles.

Mr Edward Roberts, President of CEMATEX, said: "More than half of the participants are European manufacturers as Asia is an important market for our members. The Asian textile and garment industry is expanding rapidly to meet the challenges of a more competitive global marketplace."

According to Meeting Planners International Pte Ltd (MPI), the local organiser of ITMA ASIA 2005, applications for space are still being received. Ms Sylvia Phua, Chief Executive Officer of MPI, said: "We are still getting requests from potential exhibitors as ITMA ASIA is the leading international textile machinery show in the Asia Pacific region, backed by the support of leading textile machinery associations."

ITMA ASIA 2005 has the support of CEMATEX member associations and the Japan Textile Machinery Association. It also enjoys the support of other associations including the American Textile Machinery Association, China Textile Machinery Association, Korea Textile Machinery Association and Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry.

Added Ms Phua, "There is great interest among textile factories in the region to upgrade production facilities and invest in modern machinery in order to stay competitive. Hence, we are confident of drawing quality visitorship to our event."

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To attract visitorship to ITMA ASIA, an extensive campaign to promote the exhibition to Asian and Middle Eastern buyers is now underway. The recent Pakistan roadshow in the cities of Faisalabad, Karachi and Lahore in May has drawn positive response from the local industry. Important delegations are being organised to ITMA ASIA.

Other roadshows planned include presentations in Chinese and Indian textile hubs in July, as well as visits to Bangladesh, Indonesia and Thailand.

ITMA ASIA''''s participation at ShanghaiTex 2005 from 3 to 7 June in Shanghai is part of the effort to promote the showcase to the Chinese textile industry. Said Ms Phua, "We are making a concerted effort to attract more Chinese visitors to ITMA ASIA. With visas made easily available to Chinese visitors travelling to Singapore, we are confident that more Chinese will visit our show in October. We are now working with Chinese associations, media, Singapore Tourism Board, travel agents and other industry partners to promote group visits to ITMA ASIA."

ITMA ASIA is targeting visitorship of 50,000 over the five-day exhibition. Visitors will be able to evaluate the latest technology and machinery for all sectors of the textile-making process. On display will be a comprehensive array of textile machinery, from spinning, nonwovens, weaving, knitting and garment making, to finishing, testing, handling and packing. Dyestuffs and chemicals are also featured for the first time at the Asian show. 

For more information on participation or visiting ITMA ASIA, please visit the event website, www.itmaasia2005.com. To avoid the onsite queues, visitors are advised to book online or by email to info@itmaasia2005.com.  Early bird badge orders at S$30 for a one-day pass and S$50 for a five-day season pass are available from now till 13 October 2005.

ITMA (International Textile Machinery Exhibition)

Considered the ''''''''Olympics'''''''' of textile machinery exhibitions, ITMA has over 50 years of history in displaying the latest in machinery and software for every single work process of textile making. The European and Asian showcases are owned by CEMATEX.

The Asian version of this successful exhibition, ITMA ASIA, was launched in Singapore in 2001.  It is owned by CEMATEX and organised by Meeting Planners International to address the needs of the Asia Pacific market.  

CEMATEX

The European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers (CEMATEX) comprises national textile machinery associations from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Meeting Planners International Pte Ltd

Established in 1987, Meeting Planners is a professional exhibition and conference organiser. It received the Enterprise 50 award for two consecutive years, in 2001 and 2002.  To date, it has organised and managed over 200 major national, regional and international events.

Issued by:         

CEMATEX and Meeting Planners International Pte Ltd

Media Contact: Daphne Poon                           Exhibition Sales: Kwok Wai Mui

Tel: (65) 6393 0238                                             Tel: (65) 6393 0214

Fax: (65) 6296 2670                                            Fax: (65) 6296 2670

Email: daphnepoon@mpgroupasia.com            Email: kwokwaimui@mpgroupasia.com

Website: www.itmaasia2005.com