Coronavirus outbreak has been also affecting the agenda of exhibitions and fairs. Obuv, Gallery Shoes and Futurmoda: regular scheduling and postponements follow one another on a daily basis. The latest postponed fair event is Obuv: formerly on the agenda, in Moscow, on March 17-20, they rescheduled the exhibition in May.
Reasons for postponement
“Fear and concern would have prevailed over attendance of visitors”, commented in a press release Valentino Fenni, president of the footwear manufacturers’ branch of Confindustria Centro Adriatico. In fact, a vast majority of exhibitors, participating in the Obuv fair, would be coming from the Marche. The exhibition will take place in May. The fair event organizers, namely Assocalzaturifici, Fiera Bologna alongside a few Russian partners, are going to agree upon the date later on. “Is it pointless to arrange Obuv in May? Facilities hosting the exhibition will not be available before – remarked Fenni –. May will supposedly work better, not to lose our connection with Russian buyers, compared to March: we would have lost money, owing to a limited attendance of visitors”. Organizers will soon make an official statement to make public the new date of the Moscow fair event.
Obuv, Gallery Shoes, Futurmoda and the others
They have postponed Obuv then. Likewise, they had already rescheduled La moda italiana @ Almaty. On the contrary, they have confirmed Gallery Shoes, scheduled in Düsseldorf on March 8-10, La moda italiana @ Kiev (on the agenda on March 11-12) and Futurmoda, scheduled in Elche on March 11-12. There are several problems though. A few German companies, among which Gabor, cancelled their participation in the Gallery exhibition. As regards Italian exhibitors, they reported they had difficulty finding flights to join the German destination. Samuele Camerlengo, from Lorenzi di Fermo shoe factory, personally decided to set out by car: “If Italian exhibitors come from Lombardy, Veneto or Emilia Romagna, we must find a solution by common consent”, announced the event organizers. Brunate, a company headquartered in Lombardy, found a solution actually: they will take part in the fair with German staff exclusively. “No Italians will join the exhibition event”, pointed out Sara Galli.
Spain’s standpoint
As we just said, they have confirmed the Futurmoda edition, scheduled on March 11-12. Álvaro Sánchez, general manager of the event, stressed the fact, while speaking to Informaciòn, that they made such decision after meeting up and talking with Spain’s Department of Health. They will make available to exhibitors some disinfectants placed in the aisles; besides that, they are going to give out some information brochures to exhibitors and visitors. Álvaro Sánchez called for “good sense” and asked “people having flu-like symptoms, such as fever, cough and cold, not to show up at the fair”. Some Italians have reportedly given up their participation in the Spanish exhibition. “We would rather avoid and prevent any possible risk of quarantine because of a cough or a simple cold”, confessed Alberto Trocchianesi, from Roc Pellami, headquartered in Monte Urano (in the province of Fermo).
Picture taken from Gallery Shoes archive
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