MATERIAL WORLD EXHIBITION: OCTOBER 7-9, 2002 The following resume serves as a recap to the Material World Trade show which has recently occurred at the Miami Beach Convention Centre from October 7 to 9 , 2002. This convention serves as a replacement to the Bobbin Show which has been cancelled indefinitely. The information that Urban Expositions (show organisers) disseminates states that Material World is " the international sourcing, fabric, full package, and fashion information event for the sewn products industry. It is important to note that it is an official event of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) as well. Much thanks must also be extended to the American Apparel Producers Network ( AAPN's : www.usawear.org ) who have contributed significantly to the success of this event. *1 Unlike the Bobbin Show, machinery suppliers were virtually absent at this event. In terms of size, the show included approximately , 350 exhibitors and had an estimated attendance of 4,500 visitors. Of particular interest to the author was the information gathered regarding sourcing, obtained by attending seminars and visiting the booths of various countries in the Caribbean and South American regions . This included Columbia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador; Guatemala, Haiti; Honduras, and Mexico. Of particular interest was the new trade treaty called the Andean Trade Treaty which now gives special concessions to the south American countries that will be equal to or better than those offered to the Caribbean Basin Nations under the CBI and CBPTA Acts. Additional information regarding these subjects may be obtained by contacting the author at s.woloz@swaassoc.com The key concept for global sourcing is Full Package Manufacturing which provides the ease and convenience of " one stop shopping" with only one organization to purchase a finished product. This concept , in addition to low prices, is what has made the far East so popular. However the longer lead time required for ocean shipment has become a disadvantage for products originating in the eastern hemisphere. More complete costing taking into the equation the cost of money tied up an additional 30 days, the increased risk factor of projecting consumer purchasing habits coupled with the cost of opening LC's have focused more attention to sourcing "closer to home". Full package manufacturing which offers quicker turnaround, good quality, and competitive pricing that may be found in Latin America, the Caribbean , South America as well as the Sub Saharra regions are making it increasingly important to consider these locations. For this reason, we believe that attending the Material World Trade Show offers a most productive and cost efficient use of ones resources. It is important to note that recent trade laws enacted by the American government ( NAFTA, CBI CBPTA; FTAA and most recently the ANDPTA) have provided duty and quota exemptions to provide special advantages and incentives for American companies to deal with these western hemisphere partners in comparison to suppliers in the Far East. It is for this reason that the show becomes so important. As a bonus, attending the seminars has been most helpful in order to familiarize oneself with the intricasies and regulations of dealing with these nations under the various trade regulations . Failure to comply with the technical requirements may not only be time consuming , but also very costly and negate the benefits. Thus educating oneself with these regulations is both vital and essential to assure success. In the writers opinion, of all the presentations made during the show , the two that were most helpful were presented by Thomas Travis, (managing partner and attorney at law from the firm Sandler Travis & Rosenberg P.A.) regarding the legal / trade point of view, and by Mary T Orourke ( co-founder and managing director Jassin O' Rourke LLC ) regarding the changes in the global sourcing picture. To obtain more information regarding their seminars you may contact Steve Woloz directly at s.woloz@swaassoc.com or by visiting the Material World website www.material-world.com and then going to the section Educational Seminars. In discussing with the show organisers, I have learned that it is their intention to make the Material Worlds exhibition a semi annual event with the next show scheduled for March 17-19 to be followed by the fall show to occur in October 2003. As an added event to address the needs of the technology and equipment suppliers to the sewn products industry throughout the Americas, the American Apparel and Footwear Association ( AAFA website: www.apparelandfootwear.org ) in conjunction with the tradeshow alliance partner Urban Expositions will debut a major triennial show to be held at the Miami Beach Convention Center April 14-16 2004. To obtain further information regarding the show you may contact Rosemary Ojalvo ( 519-433-9531; ro@ocimktg.com) who acts as its Canadian booking representative.     *1: According to Mike Tadaro, managing director of the AAPN, "When sourcing managers in the U.S. are looking for a new contractor, they frequently come to AAPN's www.usawear.org website. On average, about 3,000 companies a day visit the site. In effect, it is the google of the apparel production industry. To that extent, the marriage of AAPN and Material World, which occurred a year prior to AAFA's similar endorsement, is strategic."

 

Steve Woloz Associates Inc. 5763 McAlear C.S.L. (Montreal) Quebec H4W 2H2 Tel: (514) 944-8241 E-Mail: s.woloz@swaassoc.com