AT'09 to offer opportunity for a fresh start in recession period

26 Mar '09

3 min read

Key U.S. and European leaders in the technical textiles industry will meet to discuss how the industry will recover and meet new, emerging challenges at the second Advanced Textiles '09 Conference, 2-3 April in Brussels. This select gathering includes influential representatives of the industry, government, textiles organizations and trade press.

Organised by the Industrial Fabrics Association International and IHOFMANN, the 1.5-day conference will take place at the Hotel Bloom in Brussels, and features an inspiring, high-level program.

Thirty experts from Europe and the U.S. will share their know-how and new technology applications, providing attendees with promising leads for cooperation and interdisciplinary business ventures. Five thematic sessions provide an outlook on the most auspicious applications of technical textiles in the next two to five years.

Hot topics include: Smart Textiles (wearable materials that incorporate electronics); Textile Membranes and Architecture (for sustainable design); Medical and Biomedical Applications; Safety and Protective Textiles (including high-performance applications for the military); Transportation and Logistics (how smart textile reinforcements in tires reduce cost and increase performance; light-emitting digital fabrics and nanotechnology sensors in transport systems).

Isa Hofmann, CEO of IHOFMANN and conference organizer explains the conference message, "There is no innovation without creative destruction. AT'09 invites executives from the textile industry to get connected to the future! Creativity and innovation fuel our contemporary economy, and this year's exciting program will fuel entrepreneurial spirits eager for knowledge and dedicated to business success."

"Crises always offer the opportunity for a fresh start, since we assess our environment in a different way and reconsider beaten paths. This allows 'the new' to prevail. Trend experts predict a new wave for authenticity--authentic products that truly enhance our quality of life, and technical textiles in the various sectors will make a major contribution in this paradigm shift," Hofmann says.

Keynote Lectures will highlight new areas for growth and transatlantic cooperation
• Paul J. Kullman, Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy, Belgium, presents: "Transatlantic Trade & Investment: Challenges and Opportunities."
• Dr. Reinhard Büscher, Head of Unit, D2 Support for Innovation, EU Commission presents: "Transatlantic economic cooperation focusing on eco-innovation and entrepreneurship to achieve sustainable growth in a competitive world."
• Michèle Sioen, CEO of Sioen Industries and President of Fedustria, presents: "Technical Textiles processing and innovative coating technologies for various industrial applications."

According to Stephen Warner, President and CEO of the Industrial Fabrics Association International, "The worldwide economic troubles will not last forever. There are already signs that the worst is past. On 15 March, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said he believed the current recession could be turning around by the end of this year. Now is not the time to be sitting on the sidelines. Our conference will help companies get ready to take advantage of a revived economy."

Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI)

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