The vibe is positive in Asia as far as trade shows for the first half of 2005 are concerned. Organizers are optimistic that it will be business as usual, despite the upcoming elimination of quotas and the confusion surrounding exactly what will happen.
Katy Lam, director of trade fairs for Messe Frankfurt, said that, while they are not planning any strategy adjustments, they are “watching the industry closely and monitoring changes to make sure our shows follow the market developments.”
Messe Frankfurt organizes Interstoff Asia, an international fabric show, and Source It, a sourcing event highlighting products from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Both fairs will be held concurrently March 21-23 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Messe Frankfurt also organizes Yarn Expo, the yarn fair, which will be held March 27-31 at the National Agricultural Exhibition Centre in Beijing, and textile show Intertextile Beijing, which is being staged at the city’s exhibition center March 30-April 1.
Related Articles
Lam said they do recognize that trends will be different after the elimination of quotas. On the supply side, Lam said with everybody being able to come into the market, business will be even more competitive. She expects a lot of mergers to occur either within a country or across borders as a result, as this will be necessary to offer more services and maintain competitiveness.
You May Also Like
Buying trends will also differ. “Everyone will look for a one-stop shop after 2005,” she explained.
As a result, Messe Frankfurt eventually will need to make changes. “We believe it will go back to 20 years ago with a show that shows the whole supply chain,” Lam explained.
Lam also expects to see a boost in exhibitor numbers because of increased competition among manufacturers. As for visitors to the shows, however, Lam doesn’t think the numbers will fluctuate much “because our shows are very established.”
In 2004, Interstoff Asia hosted 406 exhibitors and 10,203 visitors. Source It had 120 exhibitors and 10,203 visitors. Yarn Expo had 128 exhibitors and 7,525 visitors. Intertextile Beijing had 526 exhibitors and 16,334 visitors.
In addition to increased competition, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council is optimistic about the coming season because “we believe the economy is picking up,” said Rebecca Tse, manager of the exhibitions department.
TDC organizes Hong Kong Fashion Week and World Boutique, both running Jan. 18-21 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, and the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show, which also runs in the center from March 1-4.
In the fourth quarter of 2004, the TDC had high attendance numbers at all its fairs. “We think the momentum will continue,” Tse said.
In terms of size and exhibitor numbers, it’s too early to tell for 2005, Tse explained. She added, however, that “Hong Kong is Asia’s fashion hub, so people will come no matter what the situation is.”
In 2004, Fashion Week, which shows ready-to-wear, knitwear, outerwear, eveningwear and accessories, had 983 exhibitors and 20,102 visitors. World Boutique, showing clothing, bags, accessories and lifestyle products, had 190 exhibitors and 13,894 visitors. The jewelry show had 1,380 exhibitors and 24,912 visitors.
Meanwhile, Perrine Ardouin, senior event manager of the Asia Pacific Leather Fair Ltd., agreed that the economy is picking up again in the Asian-Pacific region, but added that price is still an issue for buyers. Global buyers especially are looking for fashionable and trendy products at a more affordable cost, which often brings them to Asia, he said.
“Things are moving even faster in a direction that was very predictable,” she explained. “China will become even more the factory of the world.”
The Asia Pacific Leather Fair organizes two shows in Hong Kong for the first half of the year: APLF Fashion Access, to be held April 6-8, and APLF Materials, Manufacturing and Technology, to be held April 6-9. Both shows take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The first show features footwear, finished goods, garments, accessories and components, while the latter shows finished leathers, hides, skins, synthetics, chemicals, dyes, components and machinery.
The last Fashion Access attracted 835 exhibitors and 18,762 visitors, while the Materials, Manufacturing and Technology fair had more than 3,000 exhibitors with 47,532 visitors.
Ardouin anticipates that more buyers will come to the two fairs in 2005. For Fashion Access, she expects more than 20,000 visitors, and for Materials, Manufacturing and Technology, she expects more than 50,000. These numbers continue to increase not only because the fairs were hit by the SARS outbreak in 2003, but also because they’ve worked harder on a targeted visitor promotion campaign and buyer recruitment.
The APLF also is organizing Fashion First, which will take place in Brussels Jan. 31-Feb. 2. Although not located in Asia, the show was created mainly for suppliers in Asia, South America, Eastern Europe, Turkey and other competitively priced markets to meet European buyers.
“We’re just adapting to the demand of the market,” Ardouin said.
For the International Fur & Fashion Fair, to be held Feb. 25-28 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the general business outlook for 2005 is extremely promising, said Brenda Fung at the Hong Kong Fur Federation.
Fung expects the number of buyers attending the fair to increase by 8 to 10 percent, and exhibition space to increase by more than 38,000 square feet compared with the last fair, which had 160 exhibitors and occupied 126,358 square feet.
Part of the optimism surrounding the trade show is due to fur being back in fashion. Hong Kong’s fur exports increased by 39 percent in the first eight months of 2004 compared with the previous year, Fung said.
Also, to promote the fair, the Hong Kong Fur Federation organized a trade mission that visited Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. “We received a very positive response after our meetings,” Fung said.
Finally, the federation plans to again host its annual fur gala during the fair with a full Chinese-style banquet and fur fashion presentation for 1,800 guests in the Grand Hall of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
While quotas don’t affect fur apparel, nor leather for the APLF, the Hong Kong Fur Federation has its attention focused on the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement that allows for no tariffs on certain Hong Kong exports to China.
CEPA is expected to be effective in 2005, Fung said.
“The Hong Kong fur industry has never been in a better position to offer more to buyers than now,” said Robert Lam, chairman of the Hong Kong Fur Federation.