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An edition that surpassed all expectations: on the business side, but also (and perhaps most importantly) on the side of the event organization itself. MODTISSIMO showed that it is possible for events like this to take place, allowing the entire textile industry to have a real return to normal, which was the hope of all exhibitors.
For Manuel Serrão, CEO of Associação Selectiva Moda, which organizes the event, “there is a feeling that the ones present are somehow making history”, and are actively returning hope to a sector that is slowly coming out of six months of significant drops in revenues.
“I did not find anyone who had a single complaint” regarding MODTISSIMO or even the troubled moment the economy is undergoing, said the Portuguese Secretary of State for Economy, João Correia Neves – who took his time strolling the fair’s corridors.
The numbers validate this 56th edition as very positive: there was more participation by foreign buyers – “a surprise, even because they came from unexpected countries, such as Qatar”, says Manuel Serrão. The Selectiva Moda’s CEO also revealed that the number of foreign buyers grew by around 25% when compared to the previous year’s edition – resulting in an increase in the ‘foreign’ share from 10% to 12.5%, in relation to the total number of participants.
In general, both Portuguese and foreigner buyers marked their presence in this edition of MODTISSIMO with the intention of doing business: “those who were present are the ones who matter to the business”. Traffic decreased in the corridors, however, that was not matched by any decrease in business contacts.