The mood was upbeat at the recent Futura Fair which took place at the RDS, Main Hall Complex, August 16-18 with buyers and exhibitors reporting that they were looking ahead to 2010 with an open and positive frame of mind.
Ladieswear exhibitors reported a constant stream of quality Buyers attending with John Dunne of John Bentley commenting that Г”there was a steady flow of customers at the Fair, Buyers that we contacted to see us there all came to our stand and placed orders.
Gina Bacconi, Libra, John Charles and Pomodoro reported a great response from Buyers to their respective collections and werevery satisfied with the orders taken.
Menswear was re-launched at Futura this season much to the delight of retailers who travelled from all over Ireland as was experienced by Brian Fox of Regatta. "The Regatta Group of brands had a super response from retailers who attended Futura Fair. A full RDS created a buzz on Sunday and Monday and we had a relaxed atmosphere on our stand in which buyers were able to view our ranges with ease".
He added "We were pleasantly surprised by the number of potentialnew customers who travelled from the 4 corners of Ireland-Belfast, Donegal, Cork and Kerry were well represented. Naill Gleeson of Menswear brand Olymp added. The show was beyond our expectations. We not only opened a couple of new accounts but we also took some very large orders".
There was no talk of a recession as buyers placed orders and were optimistic that even in a difficult economic environment, business can continue.
Accessory exhibitors were encouraged by the quality of buyers at Futura and featured lots of new brands including Jia Jewellery and Bardot. Buyers welcomed the return of Claire Garnett who said "The fair exceeded my expectations, reason being, we opened some very significant new accounts and saw some of our existing clients. This means that all being well for next year, I will definitely be showing at Futura as this is the type of venue we should be seen at".
Arlene Nee, director of Absolute Jewellery also said that the response was excellent "we had a great response to the collectionwith both new and existing accounts on the stand so overall, we were very pleased with the Fair".
Footwear exhibitors were happy with the attendance with new brands Diavolina, Sachelle Couture, Olga Berg and Lotus exhibiting for the first time. Kevin Cooke of Jacobson Footwear reported that he had a very successful Fair and Chris Dagless of Vanilla Moon was very happy with the overall quality of buyers and their willingness to write orders. The consensus was that next seasonГ•s February 28/2, 2010 dates will ensure strong growth for Footwear at Futura Fair.
Futura Fair 2010 February edition will take place consecutive weekends after Pure and Moda and will feature a new lingerie and swimwear pavillion which will add a new flavour to Futura Fair and ensure that buyers requirements are well catered for.
Futura Fair taking place February 28/Mar 2, 2010 in the RDS, Main Hall Complex, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.
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