Assocal wants more help for small businesses
25/09/2018
Italian footwear association Assocalzaturifici, which organises the event, said this figure was in line with the one recorded for the September 2017 edition of the event, and a 2.7% increase compared to the first edition of this year, which took place in February.
The number of international visitors was more than 27,000, with a strong presence from China and Hong. There was also what the organiser called “significant growth” in the number of North American visitors to the fair. In Europe, the key visitor groups were from Spain, Portugal and Switzerland.
On announcing the visitor numbers, the chair of Assocalzaturifici, Annarita Pilotti, said: “Micam is still an event with a strong international vocation.”
She warned, however, that a number of steps must be taken for this to remain the case, which she expressed to Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister, Luigi Di Maio, when he visited the exhibition.
“We asked him to free up as many resources as possible to help small businesses and cut social security contributions and taxation,” Ms Pilotti revealed, “because this is the only way companies can afford to pay their employees more, become more competitive and continue to invest, generating wealth and promoting an upswing in consumption.”
On behalf of Assocalzaturifici she also said it was important to remove the sanctions imposed on Russia by the European Union, which she blamed for the poor participation of buyers from this country. Assocalzaturifici’s final demand is for European legislation that makes labelling of origin obligatory.
The next Micam exhibition will take place from February 10-13, 2019.
Image: The chair of Assocalzaturifici, Annarita Pilotti, and Luigi Di Mario, Italy's Deputy Prime Minister, examine some shoes during the recent Micam exhibition (credit: Assocalzaturifici).
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