Mode City and Interfilière will take place in Lyon in July 2016

By

Jean-Paul Leroy

Published
Nov 19, 2015

After having left Lyon eight years ago, the lingerie and swimwear trade show Mode City and its neighbouring event will once again take place in France's second largest city in July 2016, from the 9th to 11th. A one-time decision, specified the organiser, Eurovet, due to the Euro Cup being held in France and notably in Paris.

A decision that was long thought-out and discussed with a large number of the exhibitors as well as visitors, and thus in no way tied to the recent events that have devastated the country. For Marie-Laure Bellon-Homps, CEO of Eurovet, the decision was made long before and to best serve exhibitors and visitors, far from the madness that the Euro Cup will inevitably bring down on the city.
 
Eurovet has looked at such factors as the record occupancy rate at hotels for the period, with significantly increasing rated, and hotels near the Porte de Versailles convention centre nearly full, as they will be home to the 1,200 journalists working at the Euro Cup press centre set up at this site. The organiser is also worried about raised prices.

At first Eurovet considered changes its dates to July but this didn't suit many exhibitors or visitors.
 
Lyon offers many more advantages than it used to and the trade shows are a way for the city to show them off. Such as the 115 direct flight from all of the European capitals, plus the launch of Emirates and Turkish Airlines flights making it possible to access Lyon from Asia and South Africa via Dubai and Istanbul, and the introduction of a Lyon-Montréal flight in June 2016. In terms of hotels, Lyon has gained 3,000 new rooms over the past eight years, bringing the total number to some 15,000.
 
With such ease of travel and accommodation, will the Mode City trade show want to return to Paris? Marie-Laure Bellon-Homps is not making any long-term bets. She points out that Paris is a fashion capital and obviously enjoys the heavy international participation in Mode City. Nearly 70% of the exhibitors and visitors come from abroad. She also adds that "we need to stand with the city that is suffering at this time."
 
Currently, Eurovet is getting ready for its next lingerie trade fair taking place on 23 to 25 January at the Porte de Versailles convention centre. Notably with reinforced security.