Official: June APLF cancelled
CMP Asia today cancelled the June edition of Asia Pacific Leather Fair (APLF). The show had already been rescheduled from its normal April slot due to SARS.
The annual Raw Materials & Manufacturing part of APLF will next be held in March 2004 (March 29 - April 1, 2004) while the bi-annual Fashion & Finished Products Show will next be held at its usual October dates (October 6 – 8, 2003).
Commenting on the decision, Michael Duck, Director of Asia Pacific Leather Fair Ltd said, “Responding to the concerns of exhibitors in regards to the current travel restrictions imposed by the World Health Organisation, we have decided not to proceed with the re-scheduled APLF in June this year. Due to the SARS outbreak and consequent travel restrictions, we were forced to postpone APLF from the original April dates to new dates in June (26-28) in the hope that the situation would be resolved, travel restrictions would be lifted and our customers' confidence to travel would return. Many of the APLF exhibitors and buyers welcomed and endorsed this decision to postpone the fair. However, it is clear that the situation has not yet been resolved and so we are now forced, very reluctantly, to cancel the June 2003 edition of APLF.”
Exhibitors are being offered the options of having a 100% refund of their payment for their space at the cancelled fair, transferring their payment to the October 2003 edition of the APLF Fashion & Finished Products Show, or to the 2004 edition of APLF to be held in March.
APLF says that by June 26 , it will have an on-line product directory for all exhibitors running on the Asia Pacific Leather Fair website, to which all registered buyers worldwide will be invited.
“For the past 19 years, the Asia Pacific Leather Fair has been the most important trading platform for the global leather industry. Though the industry cannot meet face-to-face this time, we hope that this on-line product directory can link them up for them to do business with each other,” commented Duck.
