INFORMA POSTPONES ITS AUGUST TRADE SHOWS IN LAS VEGAS

Informa Markets Fashion, the organizer of key industry trade events like Coterie, MAGIC, and Project, has made the decision to postpone August’s 2020 Las Vegas marketplace.

Originally slated for August 17-19, the marketplace will now provisionally take place Tuesday, September 29 through Thursday, October 1, 2020, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The marketplace will feature flagship shows WWDMAGIC, Project, and MICAM Americas, in thoughtfully reconsidered formats conducive to the current environment and adherent to suggested health and safety guidelines recommended by the CDC.

While Informa Markets’ Las Vegas fashion marketplace has traditionally taken place in August to align with the fashion industry’s buying cycles, this delicately balanced decision to tentatively move forward with postponed event dates is a two-fold response amid continued uncertainty of reopening plans across the country, as well as shifts in this years’ buying season.

Additionally, with COVID-19’s marked impacts on the fashion industry, business continuity for the remainder of 2020 is imperative for fashion and apparel brands, retailers, and manufacturers. With the postponement of WWDMAGIC, Project, and MICAM Americas, Informa Markets hopes to provide the fashion community with the urgent and necessary commerce opportunities it needs.

“We know that our community is eager to connect again,” said Nancy Walsh, president of Informa Fashion Markets. “We also know our partner brands and retailers put a lot of effort into the logistics of exhibiting at or attending one of our shows. We believe it is in the best interest of our community to postpone the show at this time, giving us the runway to review the situation on an on-going basis. At the same time, we believe it is our responsibility to the industry we serve to move forward and provide an opportunity for some form of business continuity while we reassess and work through what fashion business looks like in a post COVID-19 world. We are hopeful for a September return to the show floor and are working tirelessly to make it happen, with a very focused effort on health and safety standards.”

If ultimately opened to exhibitors and attendees, the September 2020 Las Vegas fashion marketplace and its show brands will feature a new, more considerate layout, and design changes including, but not limited to, separate, smaller, and more intimate micro markets taking place within a single venue. While the most appropriate show design is still being considered, the final reimagined marketplace formats will all be guided by physical distancing guidelines, crowd-control measures, and enhanced cleaning protocols. More information on the health and safety standards across fashion portfolio events will be available on the Informa Markets website in the coming weeks.

Simultaneously, the Informa Markets Fashion portfolio is taking forward strides in the journey toward digitalization by further investing in the development of enhanced digital solutions to support brands and retailers alike as they plan for spring/summer markets. These soon-to-be revealed initiatives will complement the company’s keystone physical events, and revolutionize B2B fashion commerce.

“There has been great enthusiasm around the digital content we launched earlier this spring and we see a lot of value in engaging our industry in that way,” added Kelly Helfman, president of MAGIC. “We will continue to evolve our digital offer, both in terms of relevant educational content as well as with digital solutions that further enable our community to discover, connect, and collaborate, wherever they are.”