The first-ever Sportswear Pro event (IFEMA – Feria de Madrid, 24 – 27 March 2020) is building momentum, with an expanding line-up of participating exhibitors and official support from AFYDAD, the Spanish Sports Association.

Companies including FK Group Spa, Perma Press AB, Tajima DST, Gemini CAD and Caron Technology have chosen Sportswear Pro 2020 to showcase their latest innovations in manufacturing technologies for sports and athleisure garments, such as heat transfer systems, fabric cutting equipment and automatic spreaders and loading systems.

Sergio Angulo Rodríguez, Sales Manager, Tajima DST comments: “Sportswear Pro is a great opportunity for Tajima to strengthen our brand and connect with industry professionals. Customisation is a key focus and we are looking forward to showing visitors how they can easily personalise products with our embroidery technology.”

Traian Pindaru, Senior Product Specialist at Gemini CAD adds: “With our strong focus on the sportswear sector, it is important for us to reach the right audiences. Exhibiting at Sportswear Pro will enable us to share our latest products with new and existing customers and sportswear producers, share ideas and connect with other industry specialists.”

Sportswear Pro 2020 Exhibition Manager Michael Ryan comments: “The ‘Pro’ in Sportswear Pro stands for ‘production’. Our mission is to help sportswear manufacturers and apparel brands respond to the fastest moving trends in the market by giving them actionable insights into the technical innovations that are re-shaping every stage in the manufacturing process.”

“Our exhibitors will be showing some inspiring examples of technologies that can enable lean, just-in-time production and personalisation, with an emphasis on reducing time to market, minimising waste and creating stand-out sports and athleisure garments that consumers can’t wait to buy.”

Educational content programme, fast fashion factory & visitor trail

Sportswear Pro 2020 will include a dedicated theatre area with a ‘Triathcon’ Programme featuring streams of content specifically developed to address the key trends shaping the sportswear and athleisure sectors, including customisation, on-demand production, sustainability and smart wearables. The full programme will be published in early 2020 and all sessions will be free to attend.

Visitors to Sportswear Pro 2020 will also have the chance to experience a live sportswear manufacturing showcase in Print Make Wear, a micro factory feature which will connect Sportswear Pro and the co-located FESPA Global Print Expo.

Print Make Wear will represent the full production process for sports and athleisure garments, featuring two distinct workflows. The first reflects a customised garment ordering scenario, enabling visitors to order sportswear items from an on-site kiosk. The second workflow begins with design software, progressing to nesting and production layout. Polyester garments will subsequently be printed using a roll-fed dye sublimation process before calendaring, laser cutting and sewing. Samples produced here will be displayed and modelled on the Print Make Wear catwalk. Guided tours of both workflows will be available to pre-book online.

As the leading annual event for the speciality print community, FESPA Global Print Expo will feature numerous exhibitors dedicated to textile and garment printing and decoration. Printed sportswear on display within FESPA Global Print Expo will also be highlighted in a Visitor Trail, extending the experience for visitors to Sportswear Pro.

New partnership with AFYDAD

AFYDAD is a national trade association and an active member of FESI, the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry. It is a non-profit organisation representing all the sports sub-sectors, such as manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers dedicated to all sports, equipment and apparel.

As a partner of Sportswear Pro 2020, AFYDAD will promote Sportswear Pro with its members in the run-up to the event and will take part in the Triathcon programme of seminars, with a view to providing key insights on the current state of the sports market in the Iberian region.

Marta Mercader, General Secretary of AFYDAD comments: “We are proud to be collaborating with Sportswear Pro and, of course, we wanted to support an international event that held its first edition in our country. Many of our association members use textile printing technology and so Sportswear Pro is a good opportunity for them to see the latest technologies and sector trends. In addition, Sportswear Pro will have conferences dedicated to sustainability and digitisation which are two key focus areas for AFYDAD. The agreement will allow our members free entrance and a guided tour, among other benefits.”

Visitor registration for Sportswear Pro 2020 is open now at www.sportswearpro.com/registration. Visitors can register free of charge using promotional code SWPM202. Without a code, registration costs 40 Euros online and 70 Euros onsite.

The Sportswear Pro visitor ticket also gives free access to FESPA Global Print Expo, including the Print Make Wear feature and content programme, and to European Sign Expo.

For more information on Sportswear Pro 2020 visit www.sportswearpro.com.