Friedrich Weninger: On 19 September, the eve of the congress, we’re staging a visionary workshop called the “young scientist forum” to which we’ve invited young researchers. For the opening day on 20 September, we’ve been able to engage, among others, Uday Gill, CEO of the Indorama Group, the world’s leading fibre producer. I’m also looking forward to the high-profile “CEO Panel” which will be moderated by Giuseppe Gherzi, Gherzi Consulting, and feature the CEOs and chairpersons of leading fibre manufacturers such as Indorama, Lenzing, Dralon, Märkische Faser, Advansa and SGL Carbon. On the final day, we’ll have a new closing panel called “Sportive and Functional”, which will be coordinated by Prof. Susanne Müller, Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, and include delegates from companies such as Adidas, Icebreaker, Skinfit, Urbanrock and Patogonia. We feel sure it’ll be a really interesting event, giving brands from both the sports and apparel fields the opportunity to share their visions.

Textile network: How happy are you with the level of advance bookings so far?

Weninger: Our early-bird price has once again generated a lot of interest. Around a third of participants took advantage of the discounted rate, choosing to book early. As a result, we’re feeling very positive about the registration figures so far. We’re expecting a 10% or so climb compared to last year. We’re also delighted about the increasing interest from abroad. We’re expecting attendees from more than 30 nations. Outside Europe, we’re recording widespread interest from the USA and especially Japan and Korea.

Textile network: There’s been a lot of progress in terms of cooperation, has there not?

Weninger: Yes, that’s right. Our partnership with Edana is going very well, both in terms of attracting high-quality international presentations about the nonwovens industry, as well as the timing to coincide with Outlook (21.-23.9., Madrid, Spain – Ed.). I’m also delighted about the partnership with Avantex (12.-15.9., Paris, France) as we’re joining forces to target visitors globally, which is already proving highly effective for both of us. Our partnership with Messe Frankfurt Avantex is going to be great for our congress, as it will bring the “smart textiles” and “smart fashion” segments to a new level.

Mr Weninger, many thanks for talking to us

The questions were posed by Iris Schlomski on behalf of textile network