Winter sessions of Micam, Mipel trade shows end with satisfactory results
The winter edition of Milanese trade shows Micam and Mipel, respectively dedicated to footwear and leather goods, ended on February 19 on what was still a relatively upbeat note. Despite the evident issues caused by the coronavirus outbreak in China, no infection case had yet been diagnosed in Italy. The trade shows that followed, with the Milan Fashion Week in full swing, paid a heavier price to the epidemic.
The Micam footwear trade show posted a slight downturn (-5%) in the number of visitors who, during the event's four days, browsed the stands of its 1,205 exhibitors - 628 of them from Italy, 577 from outside the country.
“The decrease we expected actually happened. We recorded a fall in the number of Asian buyers, and a reduced presence of UK visitors, due to travel issues, the former caused by the health emergency, the latter by adverse weather conditions,” said Siro Badon, president of Micam and of the Italian footwear manufacturers association, Assocalzaturifici. “In addition, there was a slight reduction in the number of German visitors, due to the country’s uneasy business climate. Conversely, there was a rise in the number of Russian and CIS visitors, thanks also to the backing of the [Italian Foreign Trade agency]. Many high-profile visitors and buyers were genuinely interested in the novelties and product innovations presented by our exhibitors, especially in high-quality Italian collections,” he added.
The Mipel leather goods show, in the course of its four days - with talks, events and live performances enlivening the business negotiations for the show’s 300 exhibitors - recorded an 11% rise in visitors compared to February 2019. Considering the buyers coming from the other shows held in parallel in Milan (Micam, Homi Fashion&Jewels, Lineapelle and Simac), the increase was 22%. The show has built on the positive trend which began last September, when attendance increased by 19% compared to the same edition the previous year.
Luckily, Mipel suffered from a milder than expected coronavirus impact, though there still was a decline in East Asian visitors. The number of European visitors instead increased, and there was a significant rise in the presence of Russian and Ukrainian buyers. Milan’s leading handbag and leather goods show confirmed its international appeal, as 50% of its visitors came from outside Italy.
Back to Micam, in 2019 the Italian footwear industry recorded a 6.8% rise in exports, equivalent to a record €10 billion. Its trade surplus was also up, by 10.3%, while manufacturing output lost 3.1% in volumes.
Among the event’s novelties most popular with visitors, the Micam X section, showcasing leading-edge hi-tech innovations. New market trends were presented via an extensive seminar and catwalk show programme, focusing on stylistic trends, materials research, sustainability and the future of retail. Social and environmental sustainability were two of the show's key themes, at the heart of other popular sections like The Garden, focusing on environmentally friendly products, and iKids Square.
Industry professionals and the international media welcomed the announcement that the first edition of Micam Americas will be held on August 17-19 2020, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The show, organised in partnership with Informa Markets, takes over from FN Platform as the largest footwear trade event in the USA, a new focus for the industry’s international operators.
The next editions of Micam and Mipel, presenting the Spring/Summer 2021 collections, are scheduled on September 20-23 2020 at the Rho Fiera exhibition centre in Milan.
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