The Fiera Milano Plays Host for Scoperta's Re-Imagined Fair
April 6, 2006
GLUCESTERSHIRE, England – After eight shows in Chiasso, Switzerland, The Trade Link Company is moving Scoperta 2006 to Milan, Italy. This year's show, which runs from May 9-12, is designed to reflect its new high-fashion home in 15,000 square meters of space in Pavilion 16.
The new Fiera Milano holds 400,000 square meters of exhibition space.
If the management of Proposte ever decides to open its fair to a wider range of exhibitors, they will have to turn to a location like Fiera Milano because there is no larger location available in the Como area. However, although there are rumors that Proposte may be held somewhere else in the future, current management says it will not move from Villa Erba.
The move by Scoperta resulted not just in a change of venue; rather it meant a re-examination of the European textiles market, and what it needed to compete, worldwide, said Andy Green, manager director of Trade-Link.
"When Scoperta was invited to come to the new Fiera Milano in Milan, we consulted the industry as a whole as to the whether this is something they wanted to do. This included both potential and current exhibitors, as well as buyers. The feedback that we received is that the European textiles market is going through a massive state of change. (The consulted parties) felt that buyers were finding it more and more difficult in terms of time to move around and they wanted it all under one roof," said Green.
"Most of the Italian mills are small by world standards but they're very flexible and they are re-thinking their future," said Bill Davis, owner of Trade Link and founder of Scoperta and Textiles Interieur Premiere, Trade Link's other show in September.
"Some of the Italian mills are looking at China as an opportunity—not as a threat," Davis pointed out. At Heimtextil, buyers wanted good product on time rather than quality product that is delivered late."
Davis, a veteran of the exposition industry is betting that many exhibitors who show in hotels in the Como area will consolidate under one roof in the new Scoperta location. "There hasn't been an all textile industry show under one roof since the last Star show in Milan since 1990," Davis added. "With Scoperta, it is our intention to cover the whole interior textile industry for the European and American market."
The old Star show was held in the previous fairgrounds which has been torn down in another part of Milan as part of an urban renewal project. "The new Fiera Milano is a state of the art facility and Italians are showmen," Davis said.
About 90 percent of the visitors will arrive at Malpensa airport which is 35 minutes to Cernobbio and 25 minutes to Scoperta," he said. There will be bus shuttles every 15 minutes to take visitors to Cernobbio or Milan," he said.
"The Fiera Milano offers the opportunity to bring together the entire industry. Scoperta's format wasn't quite right for a company considered to be the higher-end of market. We spoke with these companies and asked them how they would like to be represented in the market. This year's show will be a direct result of that consultation."
Fiera Milano's host city of Milan will offer several new opportunities. "Location, location, location," said Green enthusiastically. "The Fiera Milano is the largest exhibition center built in Europe in at least the last ten years. It has the infrastructure to make it the most successful expo center in Italy."
It is also well positioned transportation-wise. Green pointed out that someone coming from England can make their visit into a day trip. "Now that Scoperta has moved to Milan it has opened up a whole new market and to a whole new group of people," said Green. "Milan is also far more cost effective."
"Even if it's the eighth year, for us it's the first year—and it's the first year that it's in Milan." Ultimately, however, Green says that the exhibitors are the real attraction, and with efforts to attract the higher-end, a new breed of textile companies will now find a home at Scoperta. "We want to keep it tight and exciting," he said. The 2006 show will have approximately 100 companies represented in a 15,000 square meter space.
According to Green, the strength of the show is rooted in Trade Link's constant communication with the industry. "We're putting the textile industry on show in Europe. Our enthusiasm and our drive to develop not only (our exhibitors') business but the textile industry as a whole in Europe and has led to a warm welcome for Scoperta and Scoperta Creativa."
Scoperta Creativa, which takes place within an enclosed area inside Scoperta, will serve as the home for many high-end textile companies who are new to the show.
Its space—a 400 square meter theatre—will allow Creativa to tweak the conventional trend show. Here, leading, as well as up-and-coming, textile designers have the opportunity to show what they can do in a live, interactive environment. Graphic displays will be presented with the help of NedGraphics.
"Designers can show what they can do with other elements as well—the whole relationship for the fashion. It's about everything that influences the ultimate-end product whether in home fashion, jewelry or apparel—all those influences are put into the melting pot and seen through the creative theatre. We hope that buyers will walk away very creatively influenced by what they've seen and understand that interior textiles have the capability, pace and excitement of any other fashion industry."
Green estimates that the show will grow by 35 percent at its close. For 2007, Green commented: "we are creating the interior textile event in Italy, in May, and we expect it to grow." He continued, "it is Fiera Milano's wish to have a very important textile event in Milan and they're doing everything they can to encourage us and to help us to do that."
The new Fiera Milano holds 400,000 square meters of exhibition space.
If the management of Proposte ever decides to open its fair to a wider range of exhibitors, they will have to turn to a location like Fiera Milano because there is no larger location available in the Como area. However, although there are rumors that Proposte may be held somewhere else in the future, current management says it will not move from Villa Erba.
The move by Scoperta resulted not just in a change of venue; rather it meant a re-examination of the European textiles market, and what it needed to compete, worldwide, said Andy Green, manager director of Trade-Link.
"When Scoperta was invited to come to the new Fiera Milano in Milan, we consulted the industry as a whole as to the whether this is something they wanted to do. This included both potential and current exhibitors, as well as buyers. The feedback that we received is that the European textiles market is going through a massive state of change. (The consulted parties) felt that buyers were finding it more and more difficult in terms of time to move around and they wanted it all under one roof," said Green.
"Most of the Italian mills are small by world standards but they're very flexible and they are re-thinking their future," said Bill Davis, owner of Trade Link and founder of Scoperta and Textiles Interieur Premiere, Trade Link's other show in September.
"Some of the Italian mills are looking at China as an opportunity—not as a threat," Davis pointed out. At Heimtextil, buyers wanted good product on time rather than quality product that is delivered late."
Davis, a veteran of the exposition industry is betting that many exhibitors who show in hotels in the Como area will consolidate under one roof in the new Scoperta location. "There hasn't been an all textile industry show under one roof since the last Star show in Milan since 1990," Davis added. "With Scoperta, it is our intention to cover the whole interior textile industry for the European and American market."
The old Star show was held in the previous fairgrounds which has been torn down in another part of Milan as part of an urban renewal project. "The new Fiera Milano is a state of the art facility and Italians are showmen," Davis said.
About 90 percent of the visitors will arrive at Malpensa airport which is 35 minutes to Cernobbio and 25 minutes to Scoperta," he said. There will be bus shuttles every 15 minutes to take visitors to Cernobbio or Milan," he said.
"The Fiera Milano offers the opportunity to bring together the entire industry. Scoperta's format wasn't quite right for a company considered to be the higher-end of market. We spoke with these companies and asked them how they would like to be represented in the market. This year's show will be a direct result of that consultation."
Fiera Milano's host city of Milan will offer several new opportunities. "Location, location, location," said Green enthusiastically. "The Fiera Milano is the largest exhibition center built in Europe in at least the last ten years. It has the infrastructure to make it the most successful expo center in Italy."
It is also well positioned transportation-wise. Green pointed out that someone coming from England can make their visit into a day trip. "Now that Scoperta has moved to Milan it has opened up a whole new market and to a whole new group of people," said Green. "Milan is also far more cost effective."
"Even if it's the eighth year, for us it's the first year—and it's the first year that it's in Milan." Ultimately, however, Green says that the exhibitors are the real attraction, and with efforts to attract the higher-end, a new breed of textile companies will now find a home at Scoperta. "We want to keep it tight and exciting," he said. The 2006 show will have approximately 100 companies represented in a 15,000 square meter space.
According to Green, the strength of the show is rooted in Trade Link's constant communication with the industry. "We're putting the textile industry on show in Europe. Our enthusiasm and our drive to develop not only (our exhibitors') business but the textile industry as a whole in Europe and has led to a warm welcome for Scoperta and Scoperta Creativa."
Scoperta Creativa, which takes place within an enclosed area inside Scoperta, will serve as the home for many high-end textile companies who are new to the show.
Its space—a 400 square meter theatre—will allow Creativa to tweak the conventional trend show. Here, leading, as well as up-and-coming, textile designers have the opportunity to show what they can do in a live, interactive environment. Graphic displays will be presented with the help of NedGraphics.
"Designers can show what they can do with other elements as well—the whole relationship for the fashion. It's about everything that influences the ultimate-end product whether in home fashion, jewelry or apparel—all those influences are put into the melting pot and seen through the creative theatre. We hope that buyers will walk away very creatively influenced by what they've seen and understand that interior textiles have the capability, pace and excitement of any other fashion industry."
Green estimates that the show will grow by 35 percent at its close. For 2007, Green commented: "we are creating the interior textile event in Italy, in May, and we expect it to grow." He continued, "it is Fiera Milano's wish to have a very important textile event in Milan and they're doing everything they can to encourage us and to help us to do that."
