The next edition of the Advanced Textiles Association’s AT Expo takes place in Anaheim this September.
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After multiple iterations held in east coast cities, the Advanced Textiles Association (ATA) is taking its Advanced Textiles (AT) Expo to the west coast for the 2024 edition. The expo will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. Education sessions begin on September 23 and the show floor is open September 24-26, 2024.
“ATA is excited to host the textile industry at Advanced Textiles Expo in Anaheim, California, September 24-26,” said Steve Schiffman, ATA president and CEO. “Being in California allows us to reach new people that may not travel to the east coast. Advanced Textiles Expo continues to bring thousands of textiles professionals who serve many markets together for education, networking, and an exhibit floor full of textiles/materials, new innovations, and equipment.
“This year’s show has several new features including the Next Gen(eration) Takeover Day, the Tex-tiles Challenge, programming on specialty textiles, shade and weather and emerging technologies.”
What To Expect
The show will again be collocated with Messe Stuttgart’s Sun Shading Expo North America, which will be held September 24-26, 2024. According to ATA, the collocation of the events for these two complementary industries offers value in terms of connecting with customers, suppliers, end-product manufacturers, and industry counterparts, as well as providing growth opportunities. Attendees have access to both events including the combined show floor, show floor education and networking receptions. The only exceptions are AT Expo’s conference, which is only open to AT Expo registrants; and Sun Shading Expo classroom education, which is only open to Sun Shading Expo registrants.
The show floor will feature the ATA Hub, which is a great place to learn more about ATA or join a member division open meeting. Also on the show floor, ATA announced the return of a pet rescue fundraising booth, as well as the Demo Booth —a hands-on educational space for makers and materials suppliers.
The optional add-on AT Expo Annual Fun Run/Walk will take place Wednesday morning, September 25, at 6 a.m. Participants will meet at the Hilton Anaheim and be led by experienced locals on a walk or run through Anaheim. Runners can choose a pace group and distance —1 mile or 5 kilometers. Proceeds benefit the Work Ethic Scholarship Fund.
New Features
ATA has planned several new features for attendees at the upcoming expo. The Next Gen(eration) Takeover Day is Wednesday, September 25. At 10 a.m., a hands-on LEGO™ net-working workshop will take place on the show floor. Designed to foster new connections and teach industry concepts, teams will collaborate to build Lego models that represent key elements of the industry. Later that afternoon, from 12:30-2:30 p.m., The NextGen Textiles Meet-up will take place. This fun activity begins with participants building a Lego avatar to represent their personal style. Afterwards, fast-paced networking rounds will give participants the chance to meet new people and mingle with industry influencers.
The Textiles Challenge, another new show feature, is a skill-testing, hands-on activity featuring — as the name suggests — textile challenges. Preview and practice rounds will take place on Tuesday, September 24, with qualifying rounds and the final round taking place on Wednesday.
On Thursday, ATA is giving women a chance to connect before the show floor opens. Interested attendees should gather at the Hilton Anaheim at 7 a.m. for the Women’s Networking Walk. Following the walk, women can participate in a leadership session titled “Balancing Priorities for Success” at 9:30 a.m. The session begins with a keynote followed by a panel discussion featuring industry leaders who will share their perspectives and advice. Wrapping up the event is a development session on strategies for establishing boundaries and setting priorities to obtain a work/life balance.
Nighttime Fun
To kick things off, the Professional Awning Manufacturers Association (PAMA) is hosting the Awning Pub Night at Bowlero Anaheim on Monday, September 23 at 5 p.m. RSVP’s are required by August 26.
On Tuesday, September 24, AT Expo will host the official opening reception at 4 p.m. The reception is included with all registration types to give all participants the chance to mix and mingle to wrap up the first full day.
Those who opt to purchase a separate ticket when registering can move from the opening reception to Industry Night, which this year will be held at the Anaheim House of Blues starting at 7 p.m. As always, live music will be provided by ATA member band Hangin’ by a Thread.
Education
The one-and-a-half day Emerging Technologies Conference begins with a full day of presentations on Monday, September 23, and an Emerging Technologies Networking Reception at the close of the sessions. On Tuesday, additional sessions will be held in the morning. Topics will cover a variety of subjects from healthcare and electronic textiles to green chemistry and testing. A full lineup of speakers and topics is available on the AT Expo website.
Education continues on the Emerging Technologies show floor stage beginning Tuesday afternoon. These more informal, 30-minute sessions are designed to be interactive and digestible.
For more information about Advanced Textiles Expo — including the full conference schedule with speakers — as well as to register, please visit advancedtextiles expo.com.
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