I am writing about the Intertextile trade fair that was held in Shanghai, China from October 19 – 22, 2010.  The show was held in conjunction with the Cinte Techtextil China Fair which ran in one hall (W5) from October 19 – 21.  The Intertextile fair was held in ten other halls (W and E) in two buildings at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

This was my fourth time attending the Intertextile fair since moving to China in 2008.  Thankfully I planned my return flight from Toronto and New York to Shanghai on October 18^th (arrival on 19^th) so I could attend the fair on the 20^th through 22^nd.

I decided to take the subway as there was a new station (line 7, Huama Road) that recently opened that went directly to the Expo centre.  The subway was brisk on the 2^nd day but crowed on the third and final day.  The travel time (40 minutes one-way) was comparable depending on the traffic and the cost savings was 8rmb vs 80rmb by cab from Xintiandi (return).  For most the subway is about convenience, minimal lines, minimal delays, no bargaining, or difficulties with explaining directions or location.

The second day of the fair I arrived at 10:00am and needed to register, thankfully there were now two registration areas and the one I choose was closer to the subway station and hall W5.  The other was 5 halls (15 minute walk) away between hall W and E and was the main registration area.  Picture below from the secondary registration area:

It was particularly nice to see that no cameras or mobile phones were allowed in the fairs as well they had really high fencing in case some decided to climb over to cut into line.  I think it was unnecessary but amusing. Once I got through the fence maze I was inside the registration area but was redirected back outside to the other side where I needed to fill in the registration form.  See below photos from the registration form counter and the line up once you completed the registration form.

Once I completed the form, I decided to look for alternatives to the half hour line to submit my registration, so I went back inside and spoke to some staff and was allowed to check in quickly as an international attendee, from registration entrance to the show entrance it took seven minutes.

Once in the hall I quickly located the area where I could pick up and show directory and map in exchange for two business cards.  At that point I decided it would be a good opportunity to catch the view from upstairs looking over the show floor:

Now it was time to find fabrics for my clients as per their very specific needs.   For the next three days I walked endlessly up and down every isle of interest looking for the one needle in the haystack.  Thankfully I found a hundred potential suppliers, see below photos of some of the fabrics I selected for the client’s needs:

Throughout the show I noticed multiple areas that highlighted country, fabric and trim trend areas.  It was enforced that there was no photography allowed, and security staff were on hand to make sure you were not taking pictures.  Thankfully during the show I stopped by the show office and got a media badge (photography allowed) and was allowed to share the photos below with you:

Throughout the show lots of people were looking for a place to rest, sleep or eat below were a few options with attendees and exhibitors seizing the moments away:

All in all the Intertextile show is one of the most informative fabric shows in Asia.  I find that the Shanghai show is usually twice the size of the Beijing show.   If you are making clothes and buying fabrics this is a great fair to attend.  If you are unable to attend make sure you send someone on your behalf.

Happy fabric sourcing from Shanghai, China.