Buyers took advantage of the opportunity to participate in the global market for home and contract textiles and to gain a bundled overview of global textile innovations – from fibers, yarns, upholstery and decorative fabrics, functional textiles, outdoor fabrics, artificial leather and wallpapers to bed and bathroom textiles, mattresses, sleep systems, curtains and decorative cushions. The top ten exhibiting countries were China, India, Turkey, Pakistan, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, France and Great Britain. The top visitor countries included Germany, Italy, Turkey, the United States, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Pakistan, India and Greece.

Compared to 2020, the leading trade fair for home and contract textiles achieved an increase in the degree of internationalisation – in terms of exhibitors to 94% and in terms of visitors to 82%. There was growth on the exhibitor side compared to the pre-pandemic edition from Turkey and Pakistan. In 2023, there were also more buyers from Italy, Turkey, Spain and especially Greece.

“The outstanding internationality proves: In times of geopolitical challenges, Heimtextil is the most important place-to-be for the global home textiles industry – both for new business contacts and market opportunities as well as for the redefinition of supply chains and important cooperations to overcome production bottlenecks,” said Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt.

New contacts and successful orders

Personal encounters were at the heart of Heimtextil 2023 and were celebrated in full exhibition halls. This was also reflected in the active ordering of the visitors. According to representative surveys, 80% of exhibitors had already achieved their trade show goals by the third day. Satisfaction with visitor quality was also very high: 72% of visitors were top decision-makers.

In addition to the diverse range of high-quality volume business from Asian exhibitor nations, the focus was also on European design and retail volumes – a mix that resulted in particularly high visitor satisfaction: 92% of buyers achieved their trade show goals.

Sustainable transformation in the textile industry

Innovative material developments from natural raw materials such as mushrooms, plant fibers or recycled waste products provide impulses for the future of home textiles. This was clearly demonstrated by the “Future Materials Library” at Heimtextil. But also to the present applies: the majority of the global textile industry has long since set out on the path to sustainably redesigning manufacturing processes and forming strong partnerships and measures for transparent supply chains. To this end, Heimtextil exhibitors offered products, solutions or suggestions at many booths.

The opportunity for personal exchange, inspiration and more know-how was offered by an extensive and multifaceted supporting program. This included guided tours at the trade show, high-profile lectures, events and special themed areas.

It was not only the “Trend Space” in Hall 9.0 with the integrated “Future Materials Library” and the material innovations for the interior sector shown there which was impressive. In the lead of the conception of this year’s Heimtextil Trends “Textiles Matter” was the British future agency FranklinTill with co-founder Caroline Till, member of the Heimtextil Trend Council.

With trade fair visitors’ significantly increased demand for sustainable products and solutions, the need for more transparency is also growing. This was evident, for example, in the Green Village in Hall 12.0, where interested visitors met label providers, certifiers and companies that have made an integral commitment to sustainability.

In the Green Lectures on the stage of the Green Village, certifiers, industry experts and NGOs spoke about solutions, best practices and challenges around sustainability in the contract business. The Green Tours led interested trade visitors to selected exhibitors and their sustainable product solutions.

Interior.Architecture.Hospitality and Area for fibers & yarns

An outstanding visitor magnet was the new Interior.Architecture.Hospitality Library. Interior designers and architects experienced curated innovative exhibitor materials up close. In guided tours, the curators of the Library explained to the international hospitality experts the innovative strength, the impressive design and the functional properties of textiles. A filigree and at the same time flame retardant curtain, fabrics with antibacterial effect made entirely of recycled polyester yarns or light and flowing fabrics for sound insulation represented the enormous potential and the wide functional range.

In the new area for fibers and yarns, Heimtextil also met the growing demand for textile materials for preliminary stages. For the first time, visitors found a global range of fibers and yarns for decorative and upholstery fabrics compactly arranged in Hall 4.0. This was supplemented by exhibitors with outdoor fabrics as well as imitation leather.

Up to date on the subject of sleep

For the bedding trade and retailers, Heimtextil 2023 offered an extended supporting program. In addition to the established Heimtextil Conference “Sleep & More”, Sleep Tours were offered for the first time and were very well received. Sleep coach and preventologist Markus Kamps guided interested visitors to selected exhibitors and provided exciting insights into the topic of “healthy sleep”. Among other things, the Sleep Tours took visitors to a sustainable mattress made from marine waste or a CO2-neutral fiber that is used in bedding, among other things.

At the Heimtextil Conference “Sleep & More”, experts from research, industry and design spoke about the science of sleep, sustainable trends and challenges facing the retail trade.