FERIAS / TRADESHOWS SYNTHETIC FIBRE CONGRESS IN DORNBIRN (AUSTRIA): “READY FOR THE FUTURE” As planners shifted their focus, the Dornbirn Congress has been widely acclaimed, with a very positive response on the part of the Dornbirn-MFC community. This was evident during the past edition held from September 19th to 21st. Planners state that “good communications already initiated with future generations in this sector will ensure continuity for this event. For young people and the new generation of experts in the synthetic fibres field will be included, with even more intensity. This Congress EIGHT MONTHS IN ADVANCE, TECHTEXTIL FRANKFURT SETS NEW RECORDS The International Trade Fair for non-woven Technical Textiles to be held from June 11th to 13th, 2013 in Frankfurt Fair along with Texprocess (International Trade Fair for processed Textiles and flexible materials) is already booked, for almost 100% of its available area. “Never before had we seen such good results, and so early”, planners state. It is motivating for them to see so many companies want to expand their stands and space, and that there are so many companies and businesses that had not taken part in 2011. There are also many new names on the list, companies that make their debut. There will be national pavilions for Belgium, China, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Taiwan, the Czech Republic and the United States. And to be confirmed, collective participants from Great Britain, India, Canada and Russia. Next year Techtextil will also attract a large number of business has grown in the number of participants, and the list of countries continues to expand, as is seen in the inclusion of Spain or Japan, for instance”. At the plenary session of the Dornbirn Congress Mr. F. Van Houte/CIRFS/EATP, Brussels, explained more about challenges for the European Industry sector in terms of Synthetic Fibres and the opportunities available for competing with international manufacturers. Other subjects were also dealt with: the exceptional capacities of some synthetic fibres, price subsidies for natural fibres, energy cost, labour cost, and legal requirements in a European context that is more and more complex. All of this was in debate, along with the necessary strategies. During the event there were over 100 speeches and readings by highly qualified experts, always focusing on synthetic fibres. The next edition of Dornbirn-MFC will be held from September 13th to 21st, 2013, and main themes will include: biopolymers and biotechnologies, innovation in fibres (filaments), synthetic fibres for environmental protection, application of unconventional fibres (composites), finishes, functional wear, sportswear, and a view of Indian, Indonesian and Korean markets. professionals from all the different market segments in technical textiles. In 2011, almost 25,000 visitors from 96 countries came to Frankfurt to learn about the new developments, products, services and ideas, shown by some 1,200 international exhibiting companies. The key to success, according to Techtextil, lies in a clear response to the interdisciplinary nature of product groups and application areas. The event also offers innovative, highly useful solutions to users in sectors with non- evident relations to textiles, like automotive and aircraft construction, personal protection, etc. The range of products shown at this fair is not all: there will be workshops, conferences and more, at the Congress Centre in Messe Frankfurt, and conferences by Techtextil and Avantex will offer all participants and visitors the most interesting preview of the sector’s most recent trends and developments worldwide. EPI: MATERIALES, MAQUINARIA Y TÉCNICAS PARA SU FABRICACIÓN / PPE: MATERIALS, MACHINERY AND TECHNIQUES FOR THEIR PRODUCTION 102