Madrid Fashion Shows Canceled

This edition of the global exhibition industry roundup includes news of show cancellations in Spain, a postponement in China and relocations in France and Asia.

PlasTec 2008, a four-day exhibition and two-day seminar on plastics, will debut at the Chennai Trade Center in Chennai, India, Feb. 21-24. The international exhibition will be held under the aegis of the Chennai Plastics Manufacturers and Merchants Assn.

Feria de Madrid (IFEMA) canceled its Textilmoda fashion textile show, scheduled Feb. 26-28, and its Nov. 27-29 Plural Fashion Asian product exhibition, both at the Parque Ferial Juan Carlos I in Madrid, Spain, due to poor pre-registration figures. Textilmoda was launched in September 2001.

Messe Frankfurt's March 27-29 Intertextile Beijing Apparel Fabrics will move from the Beijing Exhibition Center to the China Intl. Exhibition Centre, a larger venue that will better accommodate the expanding show. The 2008 show is expected to have 47,000 square meters (506,000 square feet) of exhibit space. In 2007, it attracted nearly 22,000 trade buyers – 24 percent more than the previous year – including 13 percent from outside mainland China.

When the Melbourne Intl. Design Festival takes place July 17-27 at the Natl. Design Centre in Melbourne, Australia, it will include the Australian debut of semiannual international exhibition Index as part of its inaugural worldwide tour. Index, based in Copenhagen, Denmark, is a design event and global nonprofit network. In Melbourne, Index will include a free public exhibition housed in specially built glass bubbles dotting downtown Melbourne and a series of other events.

The lingerie show Lyon Mode City and textile show Interfiliere will move from Lyon, France, to Paris. Eurovet, which organizes both shows, said the move was a strategic decision requested by the shows' participants. Mode City will be held Sept. 6-8 at Porte de Versailles in Paris. The location of the autumn edition of Interfiliere is still to be determined. The shift to Paris will allow Mode City to take place during the same dates and in proximity to women's wear shows Premier Classe and Pret a Porter. The shows will offer a preview of ready-to-wear, beachwear and lingerie for summer 2009.

The Euro Attractions Show trade exhibition, expected to be an annual event, will take place for the first time in Munich, Germany, Sept. 30-Oct. 2 in conjunction with Oktoberfest. Messe Muenchen will produce the event with the European Assn. of the Amusement Supplier Industry and the U.S.-based Intl. Assn. of Amusement Parks and Attractions. The show's focus is the attractions and leisure industry. The second EAS will take place Jan. 23-25, 2009, in Nice, France.

Art Forum Berlin will move to new dates and be one day shorter this year. The 13th annual contemporary art trade fair will take place Oct. 3-6 at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. The event, organized by Messe Berlin in cooperation with an international art gallery advisory board, was last held Sept. 29-Oct. 3 and attracted 41,000 attendees.

Messe Munchen will launch Hybridica, a trade fair for hybrid components, Nov. 11-14. The show, planned as a biennial, will focus on pressing technology and plastic and metal bonding technology for the development and manufacture of hybrid components for several industries. Hybridica will collocate with Messe Munchen's Electronica at the New Munich (Germany) Trade Fair Centre.

Eltec Expo will adjust its dates by six months, taking place Jan. 21-23, 2009, at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre. The biennial trade fair for building and lighting equipment, switchgear and industrial controls in the electro-technology industry most recently took place June 20-26, also in Nuremberg. Show organizers Gesellschaft fur Handwerksmessen Munich and Nuerembergmesse said moving Eltec forward to January would allow them to take advantage of a significantly improved order cycle in the electrical industry.

Reed Exhibitions Messe Wien will host its Aquatherm biennial international trade fair for heating, ventilation and bathrooms in Vienna, Austria. The next show will be March 26-28, 2009, at the Exhibition Centre Vienna. The most recent Aquatherm was held March 28-30 in Salzburg, Germany.

AgriChina organizers DLG-Agriservice of DLG Group, Office Frankfurt and Deutsche Messe will not hold agriChina in April this year as planned, but instead in spring 2009, because of exhibit hall constraints caused by the upcoming summer Olympic Games. Details of new dates and venue will be announced early this year.