FICE claims positive result
23/03/2009
Spain’s Footwear Industry Federation (FICE) has claimed that the latest edition of the Modacalzado exhibition, which ran from March 17–19 in Madrid, surpassed its expectations and those of exhibitors.
Exhibitor numbers were down for the event, with 350 companies taking stands, a fall of 29% compared to March 2008. At the same time, the organisers faced a degree of competition from around 30 footwear brands who, disgruntled with FICE and with the 2008 editions of Modacalzado, set out their latest shoe collections in a number of hotels in the centre of the Spanish capital, inviting buyers to visit them there instead.
At the end of the event, Javier García Lillo, FICE's commercial director, said: “Expectations were low for the event, but buyers came in very acceptable numbers, and what's more, they came to work. We're not about to set off any fireworks, but we've had three good days' work here.”
Mr García Lillo went on to say that a series of workshops the organisers had arranged for Modacalzado this time had proved popular with visitors. “The workshops and talks we held on each of the three days were full,” he added, “and in future we’re going to offer more opportunities like this.”
Around a third of exhibitor companies came from the province of Alicante, principally from the footwear manufacturing towns of Elche and Elda. Local media there have reported a substantial level of dissatisfaction among some exhibitors, who have complained of a lack of consideration for their needs on the part of the organising committee (FICE and partners who run the main exhibition centre in Madrid). For example, they pointed out that a late decision on the part of the committee to reduce Modacalzado by one hall left them with stands that bore little relation to the space they had ordered and had prepared for.
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