The 19th edition of the trade fair for functional fabrics and sport accessories, the Performance Days, broke all previous records with new top ratings achieved in all areas. The fair held during November 8-9, 2017 in Munich saw an increase in the number of visitors from 1868 in November 2016, to 2001, breaking the 2000 mark for the first time.

  

The halls were filled to maximum capacity and the growth corresponds to a 7.1 per cent increase. In comparison to the previous year, the number of exhibitors was also greater in autumn 2017, registering a 9.9 per cent increase. A total of 177 exhibitors from 23 countries occupied all of the halls to capacity, confirming the decision to participate in the Messe München fair, scheduled for November 2018.

When the two-day Performance Days opens next year on November 28, 2018, the trade fair will be celebrating not only its 10-year anniversary, but also its first edition at the new location. In the future, one of the large halls on the exhibition grounds in Munich-Riem will be used twice a year for functional fabrics.

A special highlight of the exhibition was the Focus Topic "Thermal Technologies – From Fibre to Smart Textiles." The topic covered the entire spectrum of heat retention and generation in sports clothing, as well as the Eco Performance Award. The award winner was Pontetorto for the development of the first fleece to be produced with a brushed inside and with particles and fibres that are biodegradable even in seawater. This innovation was a joint development between Vaude and Lenzing. There was also a workshop presented by Ana Kristiansson about the possibilities of founding a sportswear brand.

Besides the usual exhibitors such as Invista, Lenzing and YKK, the Messe welcomed new exhibitors like Freudenberg Performance Materials, Clo Insulation, Flying Textile, Inuheat Group, The Woolmark Company, and Tough Knitting Enterprise.

Innovation is the specialty at Performance Days. The functional fabric trade fair has a reputation for being the first to show the newest trends way ahead of the other trade fairs and industry gatherings. The fair offers several unique tools such as the Focus Topic, the Performance Forum with the Performance Tables and the Performance Wall, the Performance Awards, the comprehensive presentation and workshop programme as well as the guided tours.