|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FUR COUNCIL OF CANADA PRESS RELEASE, MAY 12, 2004
Montreal NAFFEM Scores with Both Vendors and Buyers
Attendance and Orders Increase
MONTREAL: There were mostly smiling faces as the 22nd annual edition of the Montreal NAFFEM drew to a close on Wednesday, May 5.
"Buyers, coming off their second consecutive strong season, were writing orders from the opening bell on Sunday, and exhibitors had done their job in producing some of the most spectacular fur and outerwear collections ever shown in one venue," said NAFFEM president Betty Balaila.
With a total of 4,328 visitors passing the turnstiles, attendance was up 9% compared with last year's show. According to exhibitor surveys, orders written at the show increased by an average of about 25% over last year, with 53% of exhibitors reporting increased sales, while only 12% experienced declines.
96% of exhibitors rated the overall fair organization as "good" to "excellent", with over 80% judging it "excellent". Similar percentages praised the NAFFEM seminars and exhibitor shows, while the NAFFEM Gala Show drew rave reviews as one of the best ever.
Almost 80% of exhibitors have already confirmed that they plan to show at NAFFEM 05, with 16% of exhibitors stating they would probably want larger booths.
The only concern was about the proposed earlier (mid-April) start date, which many exhibitors felt would not leave them enough time to complete sample lines. Buyers were also worried that the fair would begin on a Friday, cutting into their most important (Thursday night, Friday, Saturday) business days. Observant Jewish exhibitors and buyers were also concerned about the proposed new start days.
In response, the organizers will conduct a survey of exhibitors and buyers to determine whether NAFFEM 05 should begin in mid-April, or maintain its traditional early May dates.
For further information, please contact: Teresa Eloy, NAFFEM Communications Director, Fur Council of Canada; Tel: 514/ 844-1945; Fax: 514/ 844-8593; E-mail: teloy@furcouncil.com