The annual OFPANZ conference is the only trade show for NZ Industrial Textiles and Equipment Suppliers to be in one place at one time. It is a great platform to establish new business relationships and share information Every year the conference is in a new location, giving our members a chance for our members to see the country, our people and national business opportunities.

In 2022 we were able to come together in Nelson. We were able to celebrate the wins for the year and talk about the future of our industry. The speakers we had were phenomenal and created a buzz for the delegates.

Our 2023 Conference and Trade Show will be held in Tauranga 24th August – 26th August at the Trinity Wharf Hotel.

We are looking forward to bringing together a programme that will excite you and continue with our successful Fabricators Workshop on Thursday 24th August.

For further information see: OFPANZ Conference Details

Mexico has already held two previous editions of this symposium – the first time in 1967 in Mexico City and the second time in 2008 in Acapulco, Guerrero. The third edition would be at the Palacio de Minería, located in the historic center of Mexico City.

Mexico City is Mexico’s capital and largest city; It is in the Valley of Mexico at an altitude of 2,240 meters. The 2020 population for the city proper was 9,209,944. However, the population of Greater Mexico City is 21,804,515, which makes it the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the world. Besides, it is the political, economic, and cultural core of the Mexican Republic. The city has about 170 museums, 100 galleries, and 30 concert halls. In the Historical Center, the Museum of Templo Mayor is found with archeological remains of the Aztecs built-in 1325 and the Metropolitan Cathedral built-in 1573.

The Palacio de Minería was built from 1797 to 1813; it is the work of the Spanish architect Manuel Tolsá, and it is considered in its genre one of the most beautiful and important buildings in America. It is currently the headquarters of the Center for Continuing Education of the Faculty of Engineering - UNAM and other societies and associations of engineers.

ORGANIZED BY:
Faculty of Architecture
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México – UNAM

VENUE:
Palacio de Minería, Mexico City

DATES:
27 – 31 October 2025

CHAIRS:
Juan Ignacio del Cueto Ruíz-Fúnez
Professor, Director of the Faculty of Architecture, UNAM
Juan Gerardo Oliva Salinas
Professor and Director of the Lightweight Structures Laboratory – LSL at the Faculty of Architecture, UNAM

See Conference Event Page

Conference on Lightweight Structures in Civil Engineering (LSCE 2023): 30 November-1 December 2023

Refer to the conference website for further details HERE

  Structural Engineers World Congress (SEWC 2023):

8th International Congress on Crossover between Structure & Design: 18-20 October 2023

11^th International Conference on Textile Composites and Inflatable Structures (Structural Membranes 2023)

The conference will be held in Valencia, Spain, from 2 to 4 October 2023

More info:

https://structuralmembranes2023.cimne.com/

INTRODUCTION
The International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS) has focused on advancing design, engineering, materials and methods since its foundation in 1959. It attracts architects, engineers, and practitioners who play crucial roles in the integration of structural engineering and architecture. The Swiss engineer Heinz Isler was an IASS founding member, and Switzerland has a renowned history in this domain and in the association.

The 2024 IASS Symposium will be held at ETH Zurich, situated in the heart of Europe. Established in 1855, ETH Zurich is one of the world's leading universities in science and technology and is known for its cutting-edge research and innovation.
ETH Zurich’s world-renowned Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering and Department of Architecture both have a long history of structural design excellence. As the Alma Mater for engineers such as Carl Culmann, Othmar Ammann, Robert Maillart, Heinz Isler, Christian Menn, Santiago Calatrava and Joseph Schwartz, ETH Zurich maintains both a historic and a contemporary leading position in structural design research. This position is currently exemplified by an estimable strategic commitment to collaborative research on digital fabrication and industrialised construction with impressive research facilities and its engagement with the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Digital Fabrication.

THEME AND TOPICS
The main thematic focus of the conference will be the historic and ongoing intersection of technology with informed expression in structural design. The theme of the conference will be Redefining the Art of Structural Design, and will acknowledge the exemplary history of the IASS and new groundbreaking innovations in our field. The symposium aims to further develop the classic characteristics of structural design - Efficiency, Economy and Elegance - and extend them with Environment and Ethics to robustly address the current challenges faced by our discipline and planet.

VENUE:

ETH Hönggerberg, Zurich

DATES: 26 – 30 August 2024

CHAIRS:

Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
Prof. Dr. Catherine De Wolf
Prof. Dr. Jacqueline Pauli

SYMPOSIUM HOST:

NCCR Digital Fabrication, ETH Zurich

SYMPOSIUM WEBSITE:

www.iass2024.org

The annual OFPANZ Conference was held in Nelson New Zealand 29 June-2 July 2022.

As an association we are working on a few key initiatives - Training, Memberships, Sustainability and Name Change.

1. Training - We are very excited to announce that our industry qualification has been approved for an early review which means that we will be adding a level 4 qualification hopefully by the end of 2023. We are continuing to work with our new Private Training Enterprise, MAST Academy, to promote the current qualification and get learners engaged.
   Read more …OFPANZ 2022 Conference Highlights

The LSAA is acting as an Industry Partner to the STA (Specialized Textiles Association) in their event.

SpecTex22 - Conference and Trade Exhibition Program

The SpecTex22 program includes a conference and trade exhibition component with many opportunities to learn, catch up with industry colleagues and source new ideas, textiles and equipment.

The trade expo component of SpecTex22 will be open to visitors on:

Sunday 31st July and Monday 1st August between 10am and 4pm.

A variety of business sessions will be running between Sunday 31st July and Monday 1st August which will cover topics such as: 

Designing and installing successful tension structures (LSAA Contribution)

 PVC and shade structure project case studies (LSAA Contribution)

WincovER and NCC & Fire Retardancy

The Marine Fabricators workshop will also be taking place during SpecTex22 on Monday 1st August and then relocating on Tuesday 2nd August to NSW TAFE, Ultimo Campus.

SpecTex22 will also include many opportunities for networking via the Welcome reception, Theme Dinner and Awards for Excellence Ceremonial Dinner.

Download the full program here 

IASS/APCS 2022

Innovation, Sustainability and Legacy

19 - 23 September 2022,Beijing, China

Note: See further down for revised deadline dates for submission of papers (Dates altered on Jan 29 2022).

The Format and Fees for the Conference have now been established and details are in the 4th Announcement which can be downloaded HERE

A major change is that the Conference will be held in a hybrid online and in-person format. The venue for the in-person format is at the Beijing Friendship Hotel, Beijing, China.

There are different fees for the two conference modes.

For further details, see the Conference website