EUROPE – Madrid-based venue and organiser Ifema is to co-locate two of its fashion and consumer goods events from September 2013.
The organiser is currently working on the joint-staging of The Madrid International Fashion Fair SIMM and ModaCalzado + Iberpiel, an international footwear and leather goods fair.
Ifema claims the main purpose of this project is to guarantee a more competitive and attractive event for Spanish and foreign buyers “within the new worldwide economic context”.
According to the director of both fairs, Francesco Malatesta, the current economic climate requires the active promotion and development of both events.
“SIMM and ModaCalzado + Iberpiel will present a larger and more comprehensive exhibition, one that adapts perfectly to new needs and trends at points of sale. In addition, our vision aims to strengthen the Latin-based identity of the event, founded on a clear cultural heritage, effectively setting the fair apart from other events of the same kind around the world.
“In this sense, the fair will become the gateway for Latin American clothing and footwear manufacturers who wish to enter the European market. We are already making progress regarding this idea and have enlisted companies from Latin America who are interested in taking part.”
Malatesta also commented that in the current economic climate, “only fairs that offer a diverse exhibition made up of different sectors will have a future, compared to those that present a monographic range of products”.
Another factor he claimed played a key role in combining the fairs is that professionals tend to cut short the duration of their trips in order to optimise their time and money.
The February 2012 edition of SIMM brought 800 brands and 16,776 trade visitors together (a nine per cent drop year-on-year) while the last edition of Modacalzado in March 2012 featured 600 exhibitors and 7,500 buyers.
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