In light of Covid-19, trade show organizer Informa Markets is turning its MICAM Americas footwear show from a three-day physical event into an eight-week online experience.
From Sept. 1-Nov. 1, 2020, MICAM Americas will take place digitally alongside Informa’s other fashion-focused trade events MAGIC, PROJECT, COTERIE and CHILDREN’S CLUB. There are currently over 11,200 qualified unique buyers registered for the event as of Aug. 17, 2020, and that number is expected to exceed 13,000 by the launch date, in addition to having over 1,000 brands signed on to make their digital debut as part of the event.
As part of its new long-term partnership with wholesale e-commerce platform NuORDER, Informa is working with the firm to develop the show’s marketplace. Using the roadmap of Shop, Discover, Learn, the digital platform will provide exhibiting brands a virtual showroom that balances storytelling capabilities with streamlined and digitized assets to help them sell, such as catalogs, video, line sheets and 360-degree imagery. Each brand will have a unique URL they can share with existing customers for easy access to their collections.
Transitioning to a digital event has removed the traditional barriers of time and geography and has leveled the playing field for exhibitors. Exhibitors and retail attendees can engage with the platform from wherever they are based around the world, whenever it is convenient for them.
All exhibitors are being charged a flat fee for their online profile and showroom, which can house a virtually unlimited number of digital samples. As part of the package, Informa is producing a wealth of editorial content highlighting participating brands through curated trend reports and robust category-driven writeups.
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Through this marketplace-exclusive editorial content, this digital event will create a retail experience that is so much more than a transactional marketplace. Retailers can discover new and unique brands and products through shoppable editorials and of-the-moment themed trend edits sourced by leading fashion editors. This exclusive content will be refreshed throughout the eight-week event, so there is always something new to discover.
Providing a sense of security, MICAM Americas is offering a standard privacy feature to digital exhibitors that will enable them to ask buyers who are not existing customers to request access to their showroom. This makes what can be an awkward situation in person less stressful, since brands can handle connection requests digitally. Exhibitors will also receive analytics of who has visited their showroom.
Similar to the concept of neighborhoods on a show floor, the online environment will feature themed categories of merchandise. For instance, there will be groupings highlighting casual lifestyle, comfort, trend, International and fashion footwear brands. Buyers can also search and filter based on characteristics and product type or category to find exhibitors that match their needs, such as sneakers or wedges, in addition to shoppable areas based on footwear themes such as shoes for a night out, mirroring how a consumer would shop a retail site.
Instead of a three-day rush, exhibitors gain the benefit of eight weeks of exposure. For buyers, the extended timeframe offers more time for discovery.
“We’ve really changed the dynamic of going to a physical event where you’re in a three-day crunch to see your core brands first, the vendors that you already work with,” said Belinda Pina, head of sales for footwear at Informa. “And then you generally have limited time left to walk the floor and check out what’s new out there.”
Footwear and fashion education will also play a part of the digital event. Leveraging existing and new media partnerships, industry experts and fashion thought leaders, the platform will provide exclusive educational programming and business resources.
MICAM Americas will kick-off the educational segments with Beth Goldstein, executive director and industry analyst – Footwear at NPD Group to explore how consumers’ shifting priorities have affected their spending on footwear. New educational content will be introduced throughout the eight-week event, including engaging panel discussions, personal interviews with industry insiders, and consumer and retail analytics, keeping buyers coming back for more.
MICAM Americas Digital and MICAM Milano Digital – Offering unprecedented global reach
MICAM Americas’ new digital format is facilitating international participation via the presence of MICAM Milano Digital on the same platform, creating powerful global positioning for brands.
MICAM Milano Digital will have an easy NuORDER interface between the two digital events. Brands and retailers that participate in both MICAM events will have access to a wider array of the global footwear industry.
Currently the MICAM Milano physical event is slated for Sept. 20-23, 2020 and MICAM Milano Digital will be held Sept. 15-Nov. 15, 2020.
On MICAM Americas Digital, exhibiting brands will have a chance to get in front of retailers including Neiman Marcus, Rent the Runway, Saks Fifth Avenue, Urban Outfitters, Century 21, Stitch Fix and Zulily.
Among some of the confirmed exhibitors are Aetrex, Alegria, Ara, Bedstu, Blowfish Malibu, Cape Robbin, Cougar, Elephantito, Finn Comfort, Free People, Frye, INTENTIONALLY BLANK, Joules, J/SLIDES, Lines of Denmark, Mephisto, Minnetonka Moccasin, Pajar, Quoddy and QUPID.
MICAM Milano draws a lot of high-end European exhibitors and attendees. Among the brands that have shown are See by Chloé, Ermenegildo Zegna, Philipp Plein, Roberto Cavalli and Blumarine. Meanwhile, retailers such as Luisa Via Roma, Galeries Lafayette, El Corte Ingles and Isetan Mitsukoshi attend the Milan fair.
Click here to register for MICAM Americas. Companies that wish to exhibit can apply here.