Four months before the latest edition (the fourth) of the Swimwear Barcelona fair (1-2 October) Barcelona, Xavier Llamas (the entrepreneur behind this project that has become the main business platform for the textile and swimwear accessories sector in Spain) is clear about the objective of positioning the Catalan capital at the epicentre of the European beachwear universe, while focusing on the professionalisation of the event, expanding the current format with new content and developments and internationalising the event. Underlines talked to him about this and other matters.
What is your assessment of the evolution of the fair?
The balance is very positive. In the last edition we have grown both in the number of exhibitors, up to 32, representing a total of around 60 brands, and in exhibition space, as well as improving our position in terms of visibility and notoriety. We have also improved in terms of attendance, which this year has exceeded 300 visitors, all of them with a professional profile and responsibilities in the brands in terms of purchasing or design.
What is the main attraction of the fair?
Swimwear Barcelona is a consolidated show and already introduced in the Spanish market, which has been growing year after year. If you are not already an exhibitor, it is a good gateway to this market, and if you are already an exhibitor, the advantages are many as it is a unique opportunity to manage customers in an easy, economical, and orderly way. That is the main reason why this fair was created. Otherwise, seeing and managing customers is complex and time-consuming. Seeing and visiting customers throughout the year is complex and time-consuming and here you can do it in just two days.
In addition, at an economic level, compared to other formats in the sector, Swimwear Barcelona represents 10% of the investment, which, from our perspective, is a competitive advantage, and an attraction for the exhibitor.
Do you think Swimwear Barcelona’s proposal can be opened to other segments such as intimate or athleisure?
We could talk about increasing the proposal only in the beachwear segment, but no more. The intimate and lingerie segment implies another format, another name perhaps, but, above all, other times, since this segment involves, and handles, other dates at a commercial and supply level.
And what about finished brands?
My goal is to position Barcelona as the epicentre of the European beachwear industry. In this sense, if we manage to consolidate our proposal of fabrics and at the same time promote a swimwear trade fair for finished garments, we would already be talking about this swimwear hub. I think it would work, yes, because of the competitive advantages I mentioned earlier. We have the industry, especially the swimwear industry, which concentrates 80% of swimwear manufacturers in Catalonia. We have the sea, an attractive city from a business point of view, with the capacity and the necessary services… But for the moment, we must continue our way…
About internationalisation, which markets are in focus?
Mainly Europe, of course, because of its proximity and proximity. In this sense, our priority would be to reach countries such as France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, perhaps Greece… These are the markets that I think are most interesting.
What novelties are you planning for the next edition?
As well as increasing the number of exhibiting brands, as I mentioned, we are working on expanding the proposal in areas such as training, through conferences of interest to visitors, with a very practical focus. We are also working, and negotiating, an area of trends with a design school of recognised prestige, as well as laying the foundations to gain visibility in the European market through communication to gain brand and reputational recognition on an international level.
