HIGH POINT – The International Textile Alliance has changed the dates for the spring 2021 Showtime market to May 16-19. The show was originally scheduled for May 23-26.
The ITA will also support permanent showrooms and temporary exhibitors by appointment during the Premarket dates of April 25-27 and during the last few days of the rescheduled High Point Market on June 8-10.
“One of the main functions of the ITA is producing our biannual tradeshow where our members can present their new lines each season,” said Carrie Dillon, managing director of the ITA. “COVID-19 has made that a difficult proposition over the past 10 months, but we were encouraged by our ability to hold a safe show in November 2020 and our members’ flexibility in accommodating their customers.”
Dillon added that the decision to offer multiple dates to showcase products in the spring offered the best opportunity to service all stakeholders on a schedule that meets safety and sourcing requirements.
The ITA said that many of the manufacturers exhibiting at High Point Market are the attending buyers during the Showtime event. The decision to move up the core event in May and provide additional dates in April and June was in response to feedback from both ITA members and Showtime buyers and intended to give buyers multiple opportunities to shop.
Due to the High Point Market Authority’s decision to postpone the spring High Point Market, the overwhelming feedback resulted in the decision to hold Showtime in three segments in order to support ITA members, allow buyers to meet their deadlines for the fall 2021 High Point Market and capture the best buying audience.
ITA’s leadership also recognized that the timing issues on vaccine rollout and supply issues were additional reasons to provide multiple buying opportunities.
The ITA will enforce the same social distancing and safety measures during the spring Showtime events as were successful in November 2020.
“I’d also like to thank our partners at International Market Centers for working with the ITA to support the temporary exhibitors at Showtime during the additional dates,” said Kelly DiFoggio, president of the ITA board of directors.
Registration for the May Showtime event will open in mid-March. Attendees are asked to make appointments directly with ITA member companies for the Premarket event in April and the post-High Point Market event in June. The fall 2021 Showtime dates will remain as scheduled for Nov. 14-17.
