INDA has announced that IDEA, the nonwovens and engineered fabrics industry event, will be held every two years instead of three starting in 2024. FiltXPO, North America’s only technical conference dedicated to the filtration and separation industry, will return to an 18-month schedule and be held from October 10-12, 2023, at Navy Pier, Chicago, Ill.

The upcoming dates for IDEA under the new schedule will be March 28-31, 2022, as currently scheduled, and then April 23-25, 2024. Both will be held as live, in-person events at the Miami Beach Convention Centre in Florida. FiltXPO will be co-located with IDEA in Miami Beach this March 29-31, 2022 to avoid conflicting with other filtration events that were originally planned in 2021, INDA said in a media statement.

“INDA has three key reasons for making this change in event frequency.  First, the nonwovens industry has been a vibrant, innovative sector with new products, processes and materials every year, so providing an opportunity to showcase more frequently these new developments better serves the industry. Second, one of the major nonwoven events in Asia has declared they will run each and every year, impacting the past three-year cycle of major shows in the nonwovens industry. Third, coming out of the Covid pandemic, market research predicts for the near future that regional events are expected to be better supported than global events,” Dave Rousse, INDA president, said in a statement.

“This new schedule, approved by the INDA Board, responds to the new findings in event research, developments in Asia, and to the need for our industry members in North America and beyond to create more opportunities to showcase their offerings, make new connections, and grow their businesses. Establishing this new timing for IDEA and returning FiltXPO to its original cycle aligns with our industry’s needs to continue the growth of the nonwovens industry and establish its global leadership and versatility in delivering essential, environmentally-responsible materials and products. With a more frequent IDEA cycle, INDA will be better positioned to overcome business challenges and to support our members at the highest level,” he added.