For this year’s six-part series, we have decided to devote our attention to the world’s sourcing and production markets for textiles. We will trace the world’s leading textiles fairs, shedding light on the host countries, along with their strengths and weaknesses. By way of introduction, we spoke to Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt about the strategies pursued by the world’s leading organiser of textiles trade fairs.