Soccer and skimpy skivvies are not always as perfect a match as David Beckham’s Bodywear collection for H&M. So with the UEFA Euro 2016 championship final slated to take place in Paris on July 10, it makes sense that Eurovet would move Mode City and Interfilière to another locale—Lyon.
“The impact of such a large-scale event on hotel occupancy, airlines and taxis, as well as the considerable rise in prices already observed in accommodation near the Porte de Versailles exhibition park where the journalists from the Euro Press Centre will be staying, prompted us to consult a number of visitors and exhibitors accounting for over half the exhibiting area,” said a statement released Tuesday by the organizers.
“This consultation showed that most exhibitors and Eurovet wanted above all to facilitate matters and service for their clients, leading to this decision whereby these two leading shows in the worlds of summer intimates and beachwear will be moving back to the city of Lyon—where they originated—for 2016.”
The shows shifted from the southeastern city to Paris in 2008. Since then, Lyon has increased its hotel capacity and accessibility: More than 3,000 rooms have been added, bringing the area’s total to 15,000; and the Lyon Eurexpo exhibition park is now on two public transport lines.
“We’d like to make it clear that this decision was made before the tragic November 13 events in Paris,” the organizers said. “The necessity of keeping you informed as early as possible to help you plan your trips has unfortunately coincided with the aftermath of the terrible terrorist attacks.”
To that end, the upcoming edition of Salon International de la Lingerie and Interfilière will take place as planned Jan. 23-25 at the Porte de Versailles in Paris.