The specialised trade event Yarn Expo Spring attracted nearly 3,600 visitors from 41 counties and regions 27 - 29 March 2008 at the China World Trade Centre in Beijing.

The show is a focused event catering to the textile fibre and yarn industry and featured nearly 100 suppliers from eight countries and regions.

Exhibitors complimented the flow, internationality and quality of visitors. "I think we've seen more visitors than in the past," said Mr Sandeel Goel, General Manager for Textiles and Yarn for Kaybee, Singapore, a long-term exhibitor at Yarn Expo.

"This is a good place for us. We find Chinese and international customers, and when people come here they can focus on exactly what they want."

First-time exhibitor Haksa Iplik from Turkey featured high-quality recycled yarns that are gaining interest in China. Mr Serdar Sagiroglu, a company board member, said: "Yarn Expo proved to be a good opportunity to move into the China market."

He said visitors came from not just China but Italy, Egypt and elsewhere. "That is a good surprise for me. For our first time here, it's been very successful for us."

Chinese suppliers were pleased with the number of international visitors who attended, said Mr Guo Xisheng, Manager of China Garments, China.

"Our company offers hemp fibres for lingerie and home textile products. Many overseas buyers came to our booth. We are satisfied with the results."

"We joined this fair to promote our speciality fibres - Aramid, a high-temperature and flame resistant material for firefighting and military use," said Mr Lee Pang Zhou, Northern Region Manager of Yantai Spandex, China.

"The US and Japan have long been the leaders of this kind of fibre but China is starting to develop these technologies as well.

We hope to introduce our products to the US and Europe. Yarn Expo is an effective channel for us to meet these buyers."

Occupying two halls, or 5,000 sqm, the show featured a complete range of natural, manmade, blended and speciality fibres and yarns for apparel and home textiles.

Yarn Expo featured a new special zone this year for companies rated Top Brands by the Chinese government: "The China Top Brand Zone really helped promote our brand to the overseas market. We met a lot of buyers from overseas and China," said Mr Li Xin, Quality Assurance Manager of Bros Holding, China.

Yarn Expo is held concurrently with Intertextile Beijing Apparel Fabrics, a show for textile manufacturers. Many visited Yarn Expo to source their own materials, including Gulistan from Pakistan.

Director Mr Kashif N. Shakoor took a break from exhibiting at Intertextile Beijing to visit Yarn Expo. "We're a very vertical company so we come to Yarn Expo to look at raw materials and fibres," he said.

"It's useful to have the two shows at the same time because we're here both as a buyer and a seller. It's also a good place to see trends."

Other visitors came to Beijing entirely for yarns and fibres. "I heard about this show in Thailand and flew here directly to attend.

I'm very interested in Chinese yarn and the products here are good quality, especially the natural yarn and speciality yarn products.

For me, the show is worth visiting and it's a very good opportunity to see and source all kinds of yarn products," said Mr Vitaya Likittanawong, Marketing Manager for Lee Viwat Textile Industry, Thailand.

"I came from Brazil to attend this show," said Mr Thomas Friedlander from Multitex, Brazil. "It has a good reputation in the global textile industry. The timing is good for me and the products presented are interesting and good quality."

Yarn Expo, held in Beijing in the spring and Shanghai in the autumn, is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, the Sub-Council of Textile Industry - CCPIT, China Cotton Textile Association, China Wool Textile Association, China Chemical Fiber Association, China Bast & Leaf Fibers Textiles Association, and China Textile Information Centre.