Mido 2003: Better Business despite the Downturn in Attendance
Partially good results were posted by the 33rd Mido -- held at Fiera Milano from 2 to 5 May -- which is recognized as being the world's leading eyewear exhibition.
The 1,118 exhibitors, 713 of whom were from other countries (equal to 63.4%), occupied a net exhibition space of 46,500 sq.m, taking over all the available exhibit floor, apart from the 500 sq.m cancelled due to the no-show of the group from China which remained in its country following restrictions imposed by the Sars virus.
All the exhibitors were pleased with the information provided and the intense efforts made by the organizers to guarantee the best possible safety and smooth operations, allaying any fears associated with atypical pneumonia.There were no signs of concern and all the precautionary measures that had been implemented jointly with the authorities proved to be effective. No particular inconvenience was noticed, also as a result of the major information campaign that focussed on total transparency.
The expected slump in attendance which had been predicted for some time because of ramifications of the difficult international situation as well as the long Easter vacation, was offset by the widespread satisfaction with all the orders and contacts that were made, the production opportunities, and the success of the new collections on display.
Visitors numbered 25,500, 33.4% less than the previous year. The fall was mainly the result of fewer Italians, where the downturn, equal to 48.8%, was the result of two factors: the pressing media campaign about Sars and the long Easter weekend. By contrast, international attendance figures were satisfactory (equal to 16,724 attendees, -20.9%), where the decline was largely generated by the absence of trade people from Asia.
The exhibition made up for the low turnout this year, in terms of the quality of trade people at the event. Compared to previous shows, the attitude of buyers at Mido was very business-oriented and this was seen primarily among international professionals who accounted for 65% of all visitors.
Cirillo Marcolin, president of Mido, stated: 'All the indicators that emerged from our initial analysis made us heave a sigh of relief. The exhibition took place, exhibit floor space was almost sold out, and the orders that set the tone and established the industry's production strategies were very encouraging. The fall in Italian visitors was largely due to the long Easter vacation and was partly because they were discouraged by the heightened tension stirred up by atypical pneumonia, whereas international visitors, with the exception of those from Asia and the Middle East, came to Milan as usual, confirming their role as a fundamental asset for Mido. Business was pretty good according to exhibitors and buyers at the exhibition. Yet, most importantly, our responsible and transparent approach provided an efficient, calm and reasonably realistic response to the sometimes exaggerated fears that we found ourselves dealing with, since Mido was the first international exhibition held during the Sars emergency. I would like to thank the organizational staff of Mido, the institutions, and Fiera di Milano, for the efficient and convincing teamwork that they all offered in a dedicated and professional way'.
The show management has already pinpointed its strategies for next year's exhibition, which are aimed at introducing a host of new features for the trade in terms of the exhibition's look, services, communications, and initiatives. Mido 2004 will be held in Milan as usual, from 7 to 10 May.
