EXPO 4.0 sets standards for textile finishing & advertising technology

With great anticipation, EXPO 4.0, the trade fair association of TecStyle Visions and wetec, finally opened its doors again from February 13 to 15, 2025. The 237 exhibiting companies from 21 countries presented their products and offers for haptic and visual advertising on more than 26,000 square meters. Europe's leading trade fair for textile finishing and promotion, TecStyle Visions, offered a comprehensive overview of machines, materials and accessories for all textile finishing processes. There was also a wide range of textiles for corporate fashion, workwear and promotional wear.

With wetec, EXPO 4.0 also focused on advertising technology, digital printing, illuminated advertising and digital signage and showed new solutions for the entire value chain of advertising technology. 12,000 visitors from 46 countries came to the exhibition center in Stuttgart. This means that this year's edition of the trade fair is at the same level as the previous event in 2023. The countries from the DACH region were the most strongly represented. More than three quarters of visitors play a key role in purchasing and procurement decisions. In addition, the satisfaction of the trade audience has also increased further, with an overall rating of 1.8. The fact that 4 out of 5 visitors intend to visit again underlines this positive development. "Despite the difficult market situation, EXPO 4.0 remains an important platform for the advertising and textile industry," adds Roland Bleinroth, Managing Director of Messe Stuttgart.

The trade fair program was enriched by the events of the GWW (General Association of the Advertising Articles Industry), the GWW TREND and GWW NEWSWEEK, which took place for the first time in the context of EXPO 4.0. The two guest events of the GWW featured new promotional items and basic products for finishing and customizing. "Joining the EXPO 4.0 trade fair association was the perfect start for a future-oriented collaboration. Thanks to the excellent support of Messe Stuttgart and the ideal location, we were able to offer both our regular visitors and new agencies a valuable platform for exchange between the most diverse decision-makers in the advertising industry. We look forward to continuing to create added value for our visitors together with the EXPO 4.0 trade fair association in the future," says Ralf Samuel, Managing Director of the General Association of the Advertising Articles Industry (GWW).

Renowned market-leading companies and international newcomers

In addition to well-known market-leading companies and established suppliers, EXPO 4.0 was once again enriched this year by new, international exhibitors. Visitors to wetec encountered a large number of leading companies such as Harmuth, IGEPA, Siebdruck Service Welle, Buth, Mimaki and swissQprint, who presented innovative technology for digital printing and advertising technology. There were also promising wetec newcomers such as Magenta Vision from Poland, UPM Raflatac from Germany and the Dutch company EFKA BV.

This year, TecStyle Visions once again brought together prominent textile manufacturers such as HAKRO, Beechfield and ID® Identity with well-known textile retailers such as L-Shop and Cotton Classics. Newcomers included the Danish company Bestseller with its popular brand Jack & Jones and The Outdoors Company with its well-known outdoor brands Columbia and The North Face. In addition to large, established companies such as Print Equipment, Gröner-Schulze, GUNOLD and STAHL's Europe, small, specialized suppliers such as J&A and Kapatex also showed their product portfolios. For the first time, the British company ADKINS took part with its transfer technology products.

Diverse special shows and exciting live events provided practical insights

In addition to the exhibition areas, EXPO 4.0 offered a variety of interactive and inspiring special areas. At wetec, visitors also found the WORK AND DO Area, where they had the opportunity to try out different techniques and gain practical experience under the guidance of professionals. This area offered a lively workshop atmosphere that inspired and informed. A particular highlight was the special show WRAP & STYLE, which was presented by UPM Raflatac. Here there was a creative competition all about wrapping and foiling, in which trade visitors could both watch and help decide on the best team. The winner was the Rainbow Racers team led by specialist teacher Jana Hopf from the Commercial School for Colors and Design.

The TecCheck Area at TecStyle Visions provided a practical look at the topic of embossing, and the popular TecStyle Fashion Show showcased new trends and collections. Under the inspiring motto "Visions of Tomorrow", professional dancers and models presented the latest collections and brands from well-known textile companies and brought their potential applications to life. The Fair.Eco.Bio stand focused on the topic of "sustainability". Visitors were able to find out more about fair trade, sustainable products and ecological manufacturing processes, as well as print their own sustainable T-shirt.

The diverse program was rounded off by the specialist forums of TecStyle Visions and wetec. The specialist audience received valuable suggestions on the subject of textile finishing, advertising technology, best practice examples and exciting insider information on the latest developments in the industry.

The next EXPO 4.0 will take place in conjunction with TecStyle Visions and wetec from February 3 to 5, 2027. The GWW events will also take place again in the EXPO 4.0 environment in 2027.

The EXPO 4.0 trade fair network was convincing, as evidenced by the exhibitors’ comments:

Clemens Kellerhoff, Service Manager, IGEPA Systems GmbH: “The trade fair was well attended and the customer quality was high. A large proportion of our invited guests attended the trade fair and we also made a number of interesting new customer contacts. We see great potential here and believe that we have been able to initiate good business.”

Klara Steinschneider, Event Coordinator, Mimaki Deutschland GmbH:  "It was fun! We received a very positive response here, exactly from our target group - that's just right for wetec! Some visitors wanted to find out more, others wanted to have specific offers for new machines sent to them. The potential customers were very well informed, knew what they were doing and some asked very specific questions. An appearance here in Stuttgart is definitely worth it, because wetec is an important trade fair, especially for the DACH region."

Jurjen van den Honing, Managing Director, Lucoled NV: “As a regional trade fair for the German market, wetec is very important to us - also as a networking platform, because this is where we meet our dealers. I think it's particularly good that wetec takes place so early in the year, because it's easier to sell light when it's dark outside! We participate in many international trade fairs, and an appearance in Stuttgart is always worthwhile, also as part of brand building.”

Moritz Welle, member of the management team, Siebdruck Service Welle GmbH: "The wetec 2025 went wonderfully! Our stand was a real magnet and was very well received. We met with a lot of interest in our new, colored paint protection film and received a lot of enquiries - a real hit! We were able to address our target audience, win new customers and generate many leads from which concrete business can be initiated. This trade fair is a great platform!"

André Lehmann, Sales Manager, Avery Dennison Materials Sales Germany GmbH: "We had a high number of visitors at the stand, had good conversations, were able to demonstrate our products and provide information about their use. For the DACH region, wetec is an important trade fair where trading partners and industry meet. We welcomed many existing customers, but we also made contacts with new customers. The trip to Stuttgart is always worthwhile!"

Andree Bölkow, Managing Director, easy inks GmbH: "We were here for the first time, had already heard a lot of good things about the trade fair, and our expectations were fully confirmed. Here we met our end users, who came to us with specific questions. This makes wetec the most useful, most productive trade fair for the DACH region for us. We welcomed many existing customers to our stand, but also had around 60 percent of new inquiries. Wetec is therefore definitely a must for us!"

Franziska Adolff, International Sales Department, Gor Factory SA (Roly): "The trade fair got off to a good start: We were visited at our stand by many existing customers, but also by numerous new customers, and we noticed that we have arrived and are established on the German market. It was our fourth appearance at TecStyle Visions, which is now the leading trade fair for us in the areas of promotional textiles and advertising items. We were able to make and deepen contacts here, present our range - and are once again very satisfied!"

John Eriksen, Jack & Jones GmbH: "The Stuttgart audience is exactly our target group! We are brand new to the market with corporate fashion and our styles have been very well received here. If you want to promote something new, trade fairs are a must. The goals of our appearance were therefore primarily presentation and branding, and we sensed a strong interest in our products. We also used the trade fair as a networking platform, which also worked very well."

Robert Schroedter, Managing Director of Gröner-Schulze GmbH: "TecStyle Visions 2025 was extremely well attended and is an important event for us in the German-speaking region. The quality of the visitors to our stand was consistently high. The ideal location of the trade fair with its diverse connections is particularly positive."

Nicolai Bue, Head of Sales, ID Identity: "I can say that the overall result is very positive. TecStyle Visions is one of the most important trade fairs for us. We have been exhibiting here for many years and once again encountered a high level of customer interest, which obviously reflects the current market situation. We were able to win ten or fifteen new customers on the first day - that's very good! Thanks to the many contacts we were able to make here, we are expecting good follow-up business."

Tobias Seidel, Managing Director, Cotton Classics Textil GmbH: " From our point of view, the trade fair was better attended than the previous edition. We definitely met a good audience, including many existing customers who visited us here. As the trade fair in the DACH region, TecStyle Visions is a very important event for us, which also offers a great opportunity for networking. The who's who of the industry was there, and everyone was very satisfied."

Ulrike Müller-Mantel, Project Manager, Mountek GmbH: "TecStyle Visions is the most important trade fair for our company, because this is where we meet our target group. We met our top customers, were able to address many new prospects, but also maintain existing customer relationships. We received consistently positive feedback on our presentation, and our competition was also very well received by the audience."

Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)