Lineapelle attendance figures down - but not by that much
Predictably enough, attendance levels at last week’s Tanning-Tech and Lineapelle were down on previous years - but not to the extent that some pessimists had been forecasting.
Though official figures have yet to be released, on the second day of Tanning Tech, Amilcare Baccini, Managing Director of the organising body ASSOMAC (National Association of Italian Manufacturers of Footwear, Leathergoods and Tanning Machines and Accessories) said he thought visitor levels were down by around 5%.
Of course, in the wake of the US terrorist attack and with the threat of recession looming, this year’s event was never going to be a record breaker. However, attendance levels were also badly impacted by the collapse of the Belgian state airline Sabena which left scores if not hundreds of would-be exhibition-goers stranded at Brussels airport. So timing was definitely not on the side of the organisers.
As expected, visitors from the North America were notably down, as were those from the Far East and South America, though there did appear to be a strong Brazilian turnout.
At Lineapelle, prices of most lines were down – in some cases by up to 40% on those achieved during the first half of year – and the general impression was that orders were lagging behind last year’s levels. There were also widespread reports of cancelled US orders – especially with regard to upholstery and automotive leathers, and rumours that several European shoe manufacturers were in severe financial difficulty.
A slightly brighter mood prevailed at Tanning Tech, though here the uncertain economic outlook was evident in the reduced numbers of visitors taking an interest in large items of capital equipment. Most buyer activity appeared to be focused on the larger chemicals producers, many of whom had evidently chosen to use the event as the European launchpad for their latest product developments.
Amilcare Baccini said that although spending in the Europen leather industry had definitely slowed in recent months, he was not expecting 2001’s figures to be markedly down on those of the previous year. This was because the exceptionally strong performance experienced in the first quarter was in his opinion sufficient to compensate for the downturn that has occurred since.
