Albstadt, Germany / Shanghai, China: ITMA Asia + CITME 2021 in Shanghai, China, was a complete success for Groz-Beckert. In addition to the in-person event, the company invited its visitors to a virtual booth. Groz-Beckert welcomed a total of almost 3,600 visitors during the trade fair – 2,300 of them in person and around 1,300 virtually.

This year, the virtual booth complemented the traditional booth on the trade fair grounds to enable us to reach as many customers as possible despite the coronavirus pandemic and worldwide restrictions. At both booths, the product highlights were explored using 3D models and discussions were held. At the virtual booth, each visitor had their own avatar which they could use to move through the virtual world.

This year, an exchange between customers and Groz-Beckert took place either in person or – also in real time – via chat or video call as part of the trade fair. The model proved to be a success: Around 2,300 visitors visited the traditional booth, while around 1,300 international customers accessed the virtual booth.

In Shanghai, most of the visitors came from China due to the pandemic. The ranking in the virtual environment puts India top in terms of visitor numbers, followed by Bangladesh, Germany and Turkey.

About Groz-Beckert

Groz-Beckert is the world’s leading provider of industrial machine needles, precision parts and fine tools as well as systems and services for the production and joining of textile fabrics. The products and services support the fields of knitting, weaving, felting, tufting, carding and sewing. The family-owned company, founded in 1852, employed around 9,000 people and generated a turnover of €618 Mio. in 2020. Groz-Beckert operates with agencies, production and distribution subsidiaries in more than 150 countries around the world.