The outcome of the fair first day is simple. Confidence is in the air, one can feel it. The Coronavirus issue has been affecting Lineapelle 98 stands: on top of that, it might hit even more heavily the fashion business. Yet, at the leather and fashion materials exhibition, on the agenda at Fieramilano Rho until 21st February, they do not give up on planning. There are good reasons why one can predict a positive trend in 2020. The first day of the fair event, celebrated yesterday, highlighted them.
Confidence in the air
“There was a good attendance, as we expected. Everyone showed up at their appointments – remarked Marco Blasio, sales and marketing manager of Tris tannery –. I mean, even our customers, coming from the Far East, came by. Yet, in general, looking around along the hall aisles, one could not come across many of them. That was expected as well”. Cancelled flights from China are a serious issue to Lineapelle incoming, though not so topical. “We can see fewer people from Asia actually – confessed Raffaele Ravallese, from Pronto Pelli tannery –, but it is not a problem since we do not have any Chinese customers. As regards brands that manufacture in China, they might reorganize their supply chain: manufacturing is already coming back closer to Italy. We do not expect any serious effects on our provision of chemicals either”. The real problem might concern the finished product market. “Starting from there, it might subsequently affect the fashion brands’ production – remarked Carlo Di Lorenzo, from Del Vecchio Conceria –. Yet, if Chinese shopping keeps going on, 2020 can be a positive year anyway”.
Opposite tensions on attendance
Absence of visitors around halls is noteworthy and disappointing too. “At the moment, attendance is not that lively – said Rocco Finco, Finance and Control supervisor at Conceria Finco 1865 –. Asian problems, which we considered, are affecting the event”. Yet, the first day of Lineapelle, which is the last day of Micam and Mipel, made the scenario more vibrant. “We are very happy, our stand is packed and we were not expecting that – said Alessia Tofanelli, chief owner of Conceria Sirte -. A good attendance, thanks to simultaneous running with Micam. We feared that such running so close would be detrimental, but it proved profitable in the end”. After all, several footwear entrepreneurs took advantage of that. “That was my proposal – admitted Annarita Pilotti, from Loriblu, past president of Assocalzaturifici -: my aim was to create a synergy between two events. I am happy it was successful”. “Certainly, since both events were running so close to each other, more entrepreneurs could show up – remarked Giampietro Melchiorri -. They usually did not join the event because they were not engaged in the product design”. However, not all of Lineapelle visitors went to Micam too. For example, Andrea Montelpare: “I often come by to see new materials and product supply. Although I am not directly engaged in the product design, it is well worth being at the fair anyway”.
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