The 16% fall in numbers compared with last year was mostly among buyers from abroad (-23%), and especially from the biggest markets (Russia -24%; USA -26%), naturally affected the scale of business done, though not as drastically as feared beforehand. The return of the Japanese (+12%, over 1,000 buyers) put Japan in first place as the foreign country with the most traders at Mipel. The Far East is indeed a key market for many Italian firms; but exports there have been suffering somewhat throughout 2008: the Japanese buyers’ return will be seen as an encouraging sign for the medium term.
For the first time Mipel, Mifur and Micam were being held simultaneously under the same roof, a total of some 66,492 participants; this produced a mix of exhibits and interests which confirmed the advantages of holding all three events in conjunction in this new way.
“The event was in line with our expectations” – declared Giorgio Cannara, President of Aimpes/Mipel. – “Twinning with Mifur has proved thoroughly beneficial; it’s a pity that it came just at this moment of economic gloom. There’s no doubt we were affected by the present overall situation; but we shouldn’t forget that Mipel is the leading international trade fair for handbags, suitcases and accessories: it’s the primary showcase for every firm in the trade.”
The great majority of the show’s 441 exhibitors said that – taking the adverse economic climate into account – they were satisfied with their results, not least because of the multitude of new products shown for next season (Autumn/Winter 2009/10). Outstanding among these were products from the winners of the three Mipel…issima competition categories: Angi Designer for Product Innovation, David & Scotti for Quality, and Ciak Roncato for Image & Communication. Genny il Pellettiere won the Accessories class, and Abby by Volpi the contest for Best Frontage.
Nothing remains, then, but to celebrate this Mipel’s good points and to put even more effort into working on every clue afforded by the data from abroad so as to organize another positive and even more widely acclaimed 96th Mipel, scheduled for 16 – 19 September 2009, when the Spring/Summer 2010 collections will be on show.
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