Sipiel will once again take place between Friday and Sunday

International Leather Week (Sipiel), the footwear and leather goods trade event organised by IFEMA at Feria de Madrid, will stage its nineteenth edition between 29th September and 1st October next, once again taking place between Friday and Sunday, instead of between Thursday and Saturday, as has been the case at the last two editions. This return to Sipiel's habitual dates is the result of the decision taken by the Organizing Committee approximately a year ago At that time is was decided that the dates of the event would be changed over two editions (Thursday to Saturday), so that the event's organisers could analyse the impact of the new dates and decide whether to stick to them or return to the traditional dates. 'In the end, Sipiel will take place between Friday and Sunday, in view of the high number of requests received in this respect by exhibitors and buyers, who consider it more appropriate for the fair to take place over the three days on the weekend. Furthermore, these dates favour the attendance of small businesses', Pola Iglesias, the Head of Sipiel, has declared. 'With this initiative we also hope to boost the attendance of buyers at Sipiel, exceeding the figure of 22,000, among whom we expect to see a larger number of professionals from the sales outlets of Central Spain, as well as from other countries, mainly Portugal', Pola Iglesias adds. The next edition of Sipiel, with its fairs Modacalzado and Iberpiel Marroquineria, will feature the participation of some 800 Spanish and foreign companies, including a larger number of Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Brazilian manufacturers. This event, which will present the collections for Spring-Summer 2007, will occupy Halls 4, 6, 8, 9 and 10 at Feria de Madrid. As a new feature, Sipiel will offer its visitors a special section in which to view the general trends that are likely to set the fashion in terms of leather footwear and accessories during next year's summer season, thanks to an exhibition assembled by the Design Institute of the Balearic Islands (IDI) in the connecting area between Halls 6 and 8 at Feria de Madrid. The last edition of Sipiel, which took place between 23rd and 25th March, featured the participation of some 744 companies from around the world, occupying a net exhibition area measuring more than 36,000 square metres. Among the 618 companies that participated at Modacalzado were Pedro García, Magrit, Diesel, Levi' s, Lottusse, Martinelli, Pons Quintana, Sara Navarro, Looky, Patricia, Barrats, Castañer, Gorg Blau, Jaime Mascaró, Paco Herrero, Pura López, Romu's and Stonefly, among others. Iberpiel Marroquinería, for its part, brought together some 126 exhibitors. Lupo, Olimpo, Manuel Acosta, Nobuck, Guy Laroche, Miriam Gallego, Puntotres, Gilmart and Le Tanneur were some of the brands represented at the fair. Throughout its three-day duration, Sipiel welcomed more than 20,000 buyers of a highly professional profile and high purchasing power. Of these, nearly 3,200 were foreign, among which we might highlight those professionals from distant countries such as Russia, Japan and the United States, not to mention Mexico, Poland and the United Arab Emirates.