Maybe it was because the prevailing view of the global economy has been so uniformly bleak that any news that wasn’t awful looked good. Then again, maybe the industry is proving more buoyant than many expected. Whatever …..
Almost all those who attended the recent APLF exhibitions in Hong Kong came away feeling rather better about things generally and their own prospects in particular.
The results were particularly pleasing given that this year marked the 25th anniversary of APLF’s Hong Kong Leather Fair.
This up-tick of confidence was spread pretty evenly between the three related exhibitions, Materials, Manufacturing & Technology (MM&T), Fashion Access (FA) and Prime Source Forum (PSF). We carry detailed reviews of each event.
Renewed confidence should play well with the inaugural Footwear Materials, Manufacturing & Technology (fMM&T), in Agra, India. APLF took the gamble to launch a brand new exhibition, despite prevailing economic conditions, because it believes a real and sustainable market exists there. How accurate this estimate was will be revealed shortly: May 8 - 10, 2009, to be precise.
Looking a bit further ahead there is the All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE), linked with the China International Footwear Fair (CIFF) and Moda Shanghai, which all run concurrently September 2 - 4, in Shanghai. With China’s economy faring better than most, and the fact that ACLE passed its 10th anniversary last year, and with excellent re-booking and pre-booking numbers, there is cautious confidence that the 2009 events will carry on with, and add to, the upward swing started in Hong Kong.
‘Cautious’ confidence? Yes, for sure, but remember confidence breeds confidence.
