The 8th edition of Techtextil North America, the international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens will be held March 15 – 17, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. I have never been but I must confess I am sorely tempted. If you attended SPESA last year, you got a small sampling. As I mentioned then, this show is exemplary, very well managed from start to finish.
And no my friends, this isn’t the place to source cuddly or cute stuff for your lines. It’s very specialized. If you’re putting out any kind of technically oriented product (read: high tech applications in medicine, safety etc) then you might consider going. The neat thing about the show is that in addition to the seminars (40 of them) the vendor space is a vertical opportunity with suppliers who focus on everything from research and development, raw materials, production processes, fiber and goods conversion, fiber treatments and applications and last of all, sustainability and recycling. Looking over the attendee brochure (pdf) would give you a better idea.
As an example, I know there are many of you who are looking for a certain non-permeable fabric for use in baby diapers (PUL). I would be very surprised if you couldn’t source that information at this show. Or, if you wanted to make bullet proof vests, fire retardant safety gear etc, you would also have hit pay dirt.
The downside is this show is not free like most shows. Fees are based on the days you attend the symposium. All three days is $595 if you pay in advance ($700 at the door). However, I do have a cost saving proposition if you attend and agree to write some entries about the show (I have too much going on in March to go). Contact me if you’re interested.
I have been to this show. It is super technical. Fabrics for car interiors. Fabrics with silver in them. Many fabrics used by the military or in hiking/hunting. I did find two mills that I ended up working with. However, if you are looking for garment fabrics, this is probably not the best show.
Victoria Kathrein
@Victoria: Would this be the place to source 50/50 cotton/nylon twills and poplins? I found a supplier at one point that carried basic colors (black, olive drab, ‘coyote’, navy) and a few camouflage prints, but couldn’t get me sample yardage. I like the durability and feel of it in my fatigues (…three identical pairs…), but can’t find any to try with anything else… I’m guessing that this would also be an ideal place for sourcing microfiber polyester knits?
Seth, I suspect not. Download and read the visitor brochure to get an idea of the bent of this show.