Euro Shoes Premiere Collection, among Russia’s biggest fair dedicated to the shoes, bags and accessories sectors as well as one of the most prominent international exhibition in terms of volume production footwear at a mid-range price.
Euro Shoes Premiere Collection, that celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2018, over the years has become an internationally renowned business platform that gathers under the same roof the footwear and accessories community and its key players, providing them with a comprehensive overview of the latest market and fashion trends as well as with the ideal meeting place where to share experiences, insights and opinions on the most topical industry issues.
Anastasia Kornilieva
For many brands from Italy, Turkey, Spain and other countries, this event became the only opportunity for “live” contact with Russian buyers who came to the exhibition from different parts of the country. Despite the travel restrictions and limitations due to the pandemic, Euro Shoes has registered positive results, as highlighted by Anastasia Kornilieva, Director of Euro Shoes Premiere Collection, interviewed by MPA: “Despite the difficult economic and epidemiological conditions, many wanted to attend. There were unexpectedly several Italian companies, visitors were actively writing orders. At the close of the exhibition, 90% of the exhibitors confirmed their attendance at the next edition, which will take place August 24-27, 2021” – she said.
Mrs. Anastasia Kornilieva, Euro Shoes is acknowledged by international operators as one of the main hubs for footwear and accessories. What is your opinion about the latest edition that took place last March? Did it fulfill your expectations? It’s nice to hear that you appreciate our work so much! Thank you. I believe that the fair in the conditions (pandemic/restrictions) in which it was held, was very successful. Given that we were limited by the square footage of the pavilion, we were not able to provide all the companies with the desired space. The fair undoubtedly met the expectations of our team.
Considering the issues related to social distance and travel restrictions, what was the mood of visitors and exhibitors? Would you call it a successful edition? The pandemic has certainly made its own adjustments to the Euro Shoes campaign. The most important thing is that we cannot hold the exhibition at our traditional venue at Sokolniki and are forced to “huddle” at the Main Stage event hall (a much smaller area).
Many foreign participants could not come, among them there were a lot of well-known companies from Italy. Visitors are happy to come to offline events. Online activity has not yet become so widespread in Russia.
The pandemic is having dramatic implications for the real economy. What impact has it had on the footwear sector in Russia and what effects did the cancellation of the world’s trade fairs have on the industry? Yes, unfortunately, the consequences of the pandemic, which have not yet fully manifested themselves, are quite dramatic both for the Russian economy and for the global world economy.
Sales of shoes in Russia fell by 17-30 %. The lack of a sufficient number of offline sites is very noticeable. Russian shoe buyers use any opportunities for face-to-face communication with manufacturers. In particular, thanks to this, we did not experience an outflow of visitors, both in August 2020 and in March 2021.
Covid-19 and digital fairs. In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of virtual initiatives in this sector? Can they replace physical events? Are you planning to make any initiative on this subject? Many of our fellow exhibition organizers have tried to replace offline exhibitions with online events. In Russia the field of fashion these projects have not found much support. Russian fashion buyers prefer to make offline selections of collections. People of the older generation and not only, do not trust photos. I do not think that offline fairs can be replaced with online ones in the near future. One of the most important components of the offline event is live human communication.
In your opinion, what do you think the government and institutions should do to help the footwear sector and the fairs’ organizers?
During the quarantine the Russian government as well as the governments of other European countries offers entrepreneurs all possible support measures, such as interest-free loans for the payment of wages to employees of enterprises (to reduce the number of layoffs). A number of support measures from the Russian government are still being considered. But according to my opinion the most important thing is the opportunity to hold events and take part in fairs.
www.euroshoes.moscow