What happened in the last footwear fairs in Argentina?
Within a framework of stable activity, Argentine footwear manufacturers presented the new Spring-Summer 2023/24 collections, so that traders from all over the country and abroad could place their first seasonal orders.
The places chosen were the two exhibitions: EFICA in Buenos Aires that took place on June 25th, 26th and 27th and EXICAL in Córdoba, on July 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
Both fairs, with fewer visitors and buyers than in past editions, left dissimilar results for the participants, although in general they can be described as satisfactory. Much depended on the characteristics of the offer, in terms of updating and quality of the products, prices and method of payment.
The strong inflationary process that the country is experiencing has been decisive for manufacturers, due to price instability and difficulties in the provision of materials and components; while traders reported a noticeable decrease in sales, due to the drop in consumption, affected by insufficient purchasing power.
This situation, within a confrontational and pressing political and economic environment, has generated a feeling of widespread uncertainty, which does not collaborate with the commercial and productive activity of the country. The pre-electoral moment has put a large part of the population on pause, which is anxiously awaiting political definitions that provide certainty and guidelines to project the future.
Although being present at fairs is important, the experience of the pandemic has had an impact on and modified shopping habits, especially in the buyer-manufacturer relationship, where virtual means have occupied a large part of commercial activity, becoming prominent complements of personal contacts.
Currently, many manufacturers use the sending of digital catalogues, e-mail marketing, websites, etc. to disseminate their offer, and to the extent of trust between the parties, deals are made. For buyers, it is advantageous, because they do it from the comfort of their device, and avoid travel and stay costs, in the case of traders from the interior of the country. A trend that partly explains the lower influx of visitors to the fairs.
The 108th edition of EFICA took place between June 25th and 27th, at the Costa Salguero fairground in Buenos Aires. The fair brought together more than 150 Argentine brands, which exhibited the proposals for Spring/Summer 2023-2024.
More than 3,500 national and foreign visitors visited nearly 200 stands and got to know in detail the collections of women's, men's and children's footwear, in all their lines. The buyers placed orders for the next season, thus generating good business prospects, according to information from the organization.
The 20th Round of International Footwear Buyers was also held, with the participation of businessmen from Colombia, Peru and Chile. On the occasion, they maintained contacts with approximately 30 local manufacturers, through 70 meetings.
The business round was organized by the Chamber of the Footwear Industry (CIC) of Buenos Aires -in turn, promoter of the fair- and the Argentine Agency for Investment and International Trade (AAICI).
Representatives of the Government of the Province of Buenos Aires, national deputies and officials, and entities such as UTICRA, CAME, FOGABA and chambers linked to the sector, among others, also visited the fair.
The 109th version of EFICA will be held between Tuesday 28th, Wednesday 29th and Thursday 30th November 2023, at the Centro Costa Salguero in Buenos Aires, where the collections for the Autumn/Winter 2024 season will be presented.
This date implies an advance in the calendar, taking into account that the last editions of the season were held in January.
The Forja exhibition center in the city of Córdoba, was the venue for the Central Region Footwear Exhibition, which took place between July 2nd and 4th, 2023. The event was organized by the Footwear Chambers of Córdoba and Santa Fe.
In this edition, the trends in footwear for Spring/Summer 2023-2024 were presented, in lines for men, women, children, dress, urban and sports. The offer was complemented by proposals in leather goods, including clothing, bags, handbags and belts. In total, EXICAL had a volume of more than 150 exhibiting manufacturers.
On the other hand, the geographic location of the fair in the country allows contact with equidistant buyers from various regions, including Coastal, Cuyo, Center, Northwest and Patagonia. At the fair in Córdoba, manufacturers and brands from Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Santa Fe and other areas of the national territory exhibit.
In this edition, EXICAL was the meeting and integration point between business and academic, public and private, thanks to the participation of officials and authorities from Santa Fe and Córdoba, as well as representatives of institutions and chambers.
For the remainder of the season, the organizers reported that they will keep the virtual platform of the fair accessible, a tool where all the exhibition offer can be found.
In line with EFICA's decision to bring forward its next fair to November 2023, the supplier fair -EXPOCAIPIC- also anticipates its holding on October 24th, 25th and 26th, 2023, in Costa Salguero, Buenos Aires.
The purpose is to offer proposals for materials and components to manufacturers in advance, who will be waiting to create the first Autumn-Winter 2024 collections, for their subsequent exhibition at EFICA in November.
From the Chamber of Suppliers -CAIPIC- an important participation of its members is expected at the fair, in order to form a voluminous and diversified offer, to satisfy the demand of the footwear industrialists of the country and the region.
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