WWDINTERNATIONALTRADESHOWS SECTION II PHOTO BY MARCIO MADEIRA MARCIO PHOTO BY Organizers shore up their trade fairs Uncertain Times against worldwide financial woes. 2 WWD, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2008 SECTION II WWD.COM INTERNATIONAL TRADE SHOWS Managing the Downturn French fairs look to value-added services to help weather the fi nancial storm. By Ellen Groves son, brands are being trimmed from 160 to around 120 next season to offer space only to AS THEY PREPARE FOR WHAT SOME designers who have a solid business setup. fear may be the most difficult times since “We always try and push new talent but we the last war, European trade show organiz- have to give the market what it wants, con- ers are readying their battle plans. temporary fashion with an economic logic,” “Everyone is going to suffer, includ- said Jones. ing Première Vision,” declared Philippe Boutique show Tranoï, on the other hand, Pasquet, chief executive offi cer of Europe’s will move to a new central location from biggest textiles fair. The show’s anticri- March 5 to 8 to offer more designers. Interest sis strategy is to maintain investments on from potential exhibitors has risen for next promotion, trend forums and the quality season. “When there’s a crisis, business of exhibitors at this year’s levels. “Anyone for trade shows gets bigger,” said organizer who says they are investing more in 2009 Michael Hadida. “When everything is okay, a is a liar,” he said. The show will run at the young designer is going to put a fl ag on the Villepinte exhibit halls from Feb. 10 to 13, other side of Paris and people are going to all alongside Paris Indigo, the Expofi l yarn go over there and spend a lot of money on this fair, the Mod-Amont trimmings show, Zoom guy that no one’s heard about. Unfortunately by Fatex manufacturing sector and Le Cuir The fl oor at the latest edition of Who’s Next. that’s not the case now so they need to recruit à Paris leather fair. and be part of a trade show like us.” Textile fairs already felt the slowdown Budding talents though seem to be de- in September. Attendance at Texworld, terred from going it alone. CPH Vision, one of which next runs Feb. 9 to 12, fell 10 percent Scandinavia’s largest fashion fairs and home and Première Vision declined 6 percent. to Designer’s Nest, a space dedicated to new However, many companies sent smaller designers, has seen a marked decrease in fi rst- teams as opposed to not attending at all, time exhibitors applying for stands during its according to Pasquet, who lauded a 32 per- three-day run, scheduled for Feb. 5 to 8. cent jump in Russian attendees. With signs To boost its competitiveness in the denim that growth in emerging markets is slowing, and streetwear categories, CPH Vision will Pasquet acknowledged it will be a while take over a former Danish railway building before the Russian market catches up with to showcase 200 jeans and streetwear labels, the U.S. Proving to exhibitors the fair can between 20 and 30 more than in the past. open new markets is crucial, he said, add- Another center, within walking distance, will ing that a promotional operation began in showcase some 170 up-and-coming designers. Turkey this month. To better drive traffi c to its emerging Though consolidation among Italian categories, Prêt à Porter Paris, which runs mills, which make up half of Première at the Porte de Versailles from Jan. 30 to Vision’s exhibitors, underscores the fi nan- Feb. 2, is redesigning its layout, moving the cial diffi culties facing many, the February eco-themed section So Ethic, along with its show is nearly 70 percent complete, rough- street fashion area Shibuya, whose visitor ly comparable with the same time last sea- numbers suffered thanks to their third fl oor son, Pasquet said, adding that some former Designers browse at Première Vision. location in Hall Seven, to the second fl oor. exhibitors have even returned. It will also take over Hall Three for both Fifteen new denim companies, meanwhile, have which will include new designers from Italy, India Atmosphere, which will focus on Russian design- signed up for the third edition of Denim by Première and China not shown in Paris, is intended to raise ers next season, and the Box, which will increase to Vision, which will be held in the Paris suburbs of Who’s Next’s profi le and attract business from the 100 accessories designers from 80 last season. Link, Saint-Denis from Dec. 3 to 4, bringing the exhibitors Middle East region to the Paris shows, which next run meanwhile, a fast-fashion service offering brands total to 62. Newcomers include Turkish launderer at Porte de Versailles from Jan. 29 to Feb. 1. that deliver within 60 days, will grow to around 30 Yilteks Group plus Japanese weaver Nihonmenpu Rendez-Vous, meanwhile, the contemporary fair exhibitors. Refl ecting their growing importance, ac- Textile, which specializes in organic and naturally founded by French design collective Surface to Air cessories will no longer be showcased separately, dyed materials. in 2004, is opening a New York edition. The show, aside from at the Box, but will be integrated into Among other positive signs is the dollar’s gains from Feb. 20 to 22, is a collaboration with Joshua the different universes. over recent months, which could prove a boon for Safalow, director of the showroom Mexico and head The key, said organizers, is improving the buying mills in the Eurozone, Pasquet said. The falling pric- buyer of BBlessing boutique. It will feature 75 ex- experience. Tranoi’s organizers, for instance, are es of raw materials, while yet to trickle down to man- hibitors, mostly European and American women’s la- helping designers to better edit their selection rather ufacturers, provides further cause for optimism. bels, selected for the market. “There’ll be an accent than packing stands full, so that retailers can under- To boost attendance by international buyers, which on maybe slightly commercial brands — in a posi- stand the brand’s philosophy at a glance. “Buyers are fell 7 percent at the October shows, Who’s Next con- tive way,” said organizer Nic Jones. Acknowledging already feeling threatened,” Hadida said. “People temporary ready-to-wear and Premiere Classe ac- the timing isn’t perfect to launch a new event, Jones want to sell more, while buyers are spending less. We cessories shows will launch their fi rst international pointed out that many European brands are still need to seduce them, talk to them differently.” editions, showcasing some 250 brands in Dubai in doing well in the U.S. and that, despite the slowdown, Attendance grew 12 percent in October thanks to a November. “We need to increase our international it remains a huge market. “Obviously for European rise in Russian, Eastern European and Middle Eastern visibility to encourage more visitors from overseas,” designers, this will help as less American buyers are retailers. “When people have to prioritize, most of them said organizer Xavier Clergerie, noting that Dubai is traveling,” he said. skip New York, London and Milan, but they all make it a platform for India, Pakistan and Russia. The move, At its Paris edition, which saw traffi c fall last sea- to Paris,” said Hadida. “We’re very lucky.” 4 WWD, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2008 SECTION II WWD.COM INTERNATIONAL TRADE SHOWS Moda In will run Feb. 3 to 6. Shoring Up Services Italian shows seek to offer attendees the best bang for their buck. By Luisa Zargani said Menarin. “Otherwise, it would be a huge damage for the system. It is essential ITALIAN TRADE SHOW ORGANIZERS ARE SET ON to invest and put our maximum effort into staying the course, despite a rocky economy. the project, so that it becomes an event you Because of the uncertain future, most associa- simply can’t miss.” tions are working on upgrading and expanding their Fiera di Vicenza organizes fi ne jewelry locations and improving service and facilities, with shows Vicenzaoro First, running Jan. 11 to a chin-up attitude. A number of organizers are even 18, and Vicenzaoro Charm, scheduled for upbeat and optimistic about the upcoming events. May 16 to 20. The organization is working working on a “shop-sharing project” in the Corso Como “Trade shows always work well in troubled times on refi ning services, including parking and transporta- shopping area to present spring collections by members — they are anticyclical,” said Raffaello Napoleone, tion and improving the shows’ layout. Visibility will in- of AIMPES and to bring added visibility to Mipel. chief executive officer of Pitti Immagine. crease for many stands, as additional space has been Massimo Mosiello, general director of giant textile Napoleone conceded that fewer people per compa- recovered from a nearby former hotel that was torn show Milano Unica, running Feb. 3 to 6, also pointed ny will attend the shows in order to contain costs, but down. Fiera di Vicenza also organizes annual high-end to emerging markets as tipping the scale — Eastern said there is no significant change in the number of ex- jewelry exhibition About J, running Feb. 22 to 24. European ones in particular. Mosiello, however, said hibitors. Also, Napoleone was particularly pleased with Mauro Muzzolon, general secretary of AIMPES, the he expects “a slight” drop in exhibitors compared with the choice of launching Pitti W Women’s Precollection Italian leather goods association that organizes Mipel, previous editions because organizers are set on a high- in January.