Surprising FIMEC call opens new expectations for the footwear industry in Latin America
The return of visitors to the supplier fair in Brazil augurs a stage of conversion and growth in the region.
The 46th edition of FIMEC, the International Fair of Leather, Chemical Products, Materials, Components, Accessories and Technology for Footwear, Manufactured Goods and Tanneries, was held in Novo Hamburgo/RS, Brazil, on March 7th, 8th and 9th, 2023.
According to its organizers, "it continues to consolidate as one of the largest fairs in the sector in the world".
The call exceeded 20,000 people, mostly from the local sphere, from Latin American countries and from other regions outside the zone. The full list includes visitors from 36 countries, including South Africa, Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Egypt, Ecuador, Spain, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Ghana, Great Britain, Guatemala, Guinea, India, Iran, Mauritania, Mexico, Nigeria, Palestine, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Senegal, Somalia, Uruguay and Venezuela.
During the pandemic period and its consequences, manufactured goods industries in general faced critical situations, marked by immobility and lock down, which affected their activity and forced conversion processes and reorientation of their objectives.
This long industrial lethargy produced a stagnation in the updating and provision of productive structures. Therefore, it was foreseeable that, given the improvement in sanitary and logistical conditions, industrialists would return to events and fairs, in order to satisfy their most immediate needs.
Updating in fashion and technology, getting to know new suppliers and materials, accessing a perspective of the sector from a collective forum, as was the fair, were some of the essential priorities for the thousands of visitors who gathered at FIMEC.
From what is perceived, the Latin American footwear industry is preparing to enter a new period with positive expectations that, despite the international crisis and the great changes that are taking place, has room to grow and becomes a valid alternative in their own markets and abroad.
“For me, this is the best FIMEC since I've been at FENAC. As I have been participating in the fair since 1985, this has certainly been the best in the last 10 years. And this coincides with the comments of several people who passed by here”, declared the director-president of FENAC, Marcio Jung. For him, this year's FIMEC fulfilled its goal. “The purpose has been widely fulfilled, connecting visitors who needed suppliers that meet their demands. It was a fair full of decision makers, and therefore a good volume of business was achieved”, Jung completed.
"There were two factors that surprised me in this edition: the incredible number of foreign buyers and the visit of the great tanneries from Brazil". For Marcio Jung, the projection for next year is even better. "The success of this edition makes me believe with absolute conviction that FIMEC 2024 will be one of the best fairs of all time".
Finally, the executive of FENAC projected that 90% of the exhibitors will renew their spaces for the next year, and predicted a 20% growth in the area sold.
The designer Mariane Fumagalli, in charge of the COMPONARTE stand, expressed that “the fair was very good and we ended up very enthusiastic. This 2023 edition exceeded all our expectations, as many people came, and our stand was always full. Being at FIMEC allowed us to open new doors, meet new clients, in addition to exhibiting our collection and contributing so that the client has a differentiated view of the company”, added Mariane.
Another brand satisfied with the results was INJEPLAN of soles and heels. “This edition was much more positive than last year. It seems that the market is recovering, since the movement was much greater and people were interested in new products and businesses”, pointed out Marina de Moraes Clemes, commercial manager of the company. Highlighting the networking that the fair provided, she said: “We made many new contacts for exports, including countries like Bolivia and Peru. For us it is essential to expand the market, since we do not have representatives in other states and countries, and here we can connect directly”, she explained.
“Our company has already renewed its participation contract for 2024, with the possibility of occupying a larger stand, since the one we had was insufficient”, explained Marina.
In this edition, FIMEC brought together 350 exhibitors within an area of 10,000 m2. 80% of the participants were of local origin, while the remaining 20% was occupied by more than 60 independent Chinese and Asian companies, spread over small and medium-sized stands.
It is worth clarifying that a large part of the 80% of Brazilian exhibitors are representatives of foreign companies, or have partnerships with companies of Italian, German, Spanish, French and Belgian origin, among others.
Regarding the presence by sector, technology occupied 60% of the total space, followed by components and accessories (25%) and materials and supplies (15%).
Other areas of the event were of interest to visitors. Among them, the FIMEC STUDIO, dedicated to fashion trends; the Events Center where the CICB SUSTAINABILITY FORUM was held, and the CONCEPT FACTORY, with massive attendance, which presented 3 manufacturing lines in real time, so that the public could learn directly about the different processes and technologies for manufacturing footwear.
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