Messe Frankfurt France Replaces February Trade Shows With Event

● Organizers have canceled the Texworld, Apparel Sourcing, Avantex, Leatherworld and Shawls & Scarves trade shows.

PARIS — Trade show operator Messe Frankfurt France has scrapped its February apparel industry event, opting for a smaller, weeklong format in Paris.

“It is a solution that will enable us to best meet the needs and expectations of the customers during this unique period,” said Frédéric Bougeard, president of Messe Frankfurt France.

Organizers outlined plans to cancel the Texworld, Apparel Sourcing, Avantex, Leatherworld, Shawls & Scarves and Texworld trade show editions in February 2021 in Le Bourget, and are instead offering a week for fabric and apparel buyers to see products from a select group of exhibitors that will be grouped together by specific categories.

The invite- and reservation- only event will be organized around the “trend forum” with areas organized by category, featuring fabric samples and finished products from hundreds of textile companies.

The Paris event will take place at the beginning of the month of February 2021, and is geared to complementing the digital sourcing platform, developed with Foursource.

“It is crucial to offer our visitors access, even if restricted, to the global offer,” said Bougeard.

The executive was named president of the company in April last year. Messe Frankfurt France has 25 employees.

Trade shows have been beefing up online platforms as a way to connect exhibitors and visitors amid travel restrictions and lockdowns.