SPESA’s 2025 conference, which is taking place from 27-29 August at the Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile, is now open for registration.
The SPESA Executive Conference serves as a platform for education and networking, targeting individuals keen on understanding the current landscape, trends, and policies shaping the global sewn products sector.
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Participants will have access to a robust agenda featuring keynote addresses, panel discussions, and case studies from the industry over the two days. These sessions are designed to facilitate knowledge sharing and active participation among attendees.
The conference has historically covered a wide array of topics such as workforce development, trade and tariffs, sustainability innovations, supply chain challenges, reshoring initiatives, advancements in textile technology, as well as robotics and automation.
In addition to the on-stage discussions, the conference places emphasis on networking with a range of activities that reinforce the strong professional relationships within the industry.
SPESA president Michael McDonald said: “Every year that we host this event is a bit better than the last as we build on what our team learns as event planners and the feedback we receive from our attendees on the topics and opportunities that are most important to them. But every year is also a little bit of an experiment as we move to a new region, new market, and new audience pool, which keeps it exciting. Even for our returning attendees, there is always something new to learn and someone new to meet at every SPESA event.”
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By GlobalDataIn previous years, the event took place in Montréal, San Juan, Boston, and New Orleans.
The association explained Chicago was chosen to host SPESA’s Executive Conference 2025 because of its rich manufacturing history, skilled labour, industrial advancements, and its robust supply chain that benefits the textile and apparel industries.
The city’s central location in North America provides seamless connections to key markets in the US, Canada, and Mexico and offers a prime venue for networking among soft goods experts, said SPESA.
In addition, SPESA’s latest team member, Ambar Campos, is based in Chicago.
Campos is actively involved in the local fashion community through her board position with the Apparel Industry Board (AIBI) and her contributions to Chicago Fashion Week.
“We have been fortunate to have fantastic local industry partners in our event host cities over the years, but having actual ‘boots on the ground’ in Chicago will be an incredible advantage to SPESA as we bring in local industry and perspectives to help attendees learn more about the production, market, and trade issues specific to the region. It will be a busy summer for us as we build the best possible event we can for our members, their customers, and the sewn products industry,” McDonald added.
SPESA hosted its Advancements in Manufacturing Technologies Conference in April and co-produced Texprocess Americas in Atlanta earlier this month (May).
