Apparel News Q&A | Are Digital Tradeshow Tools & Virtual Events Here to Stay?

By Dorothy Crouch | Friday, May 15, 2020

Since late last year, COVID-19 has been causing widespread turmoil around the globe. As many apparel companies attempt to keep their clients and customers safe—while trying to remain in business—they are looking to their trusted partners for new paths to buying and selling. In some areas of the world, business is slowly opening up with safety measures such as social distancing in place, while others are still under stay-at-home orders. Eventually, the apparel industry will be back to business, but it will not be business as usual.

In the trade-show segment, which has seen many events being postponed or canceled, this shift toward a new way of doing business is most recognizable. Producers have launched virtual shows, engaged in digital and social media–based programming, and leveraged video communications. While California Apparel News hopes everyone is remaining safe and out of harm’s way, we reached out to event producers to discuss the methods by which they are utilizing virtual tools and the ways these options will be incorporated into the on-site trade-show model once stayat-home orders are completely lifted around the world.

MORIAH ROBINSON | DIRECTOR OF EVENTS

CALIFORNIA MARKET CENTER

Our team took a phased approach to analyze and understand what was transpiring in our industry from all angles.

First, we connected with our tenants, brands and retailers. We did this not only to understand what was happening specifically within their individual communities but also to help us strategize how we could help.

Second, we connected with our trade-show and fashion-district peers. Our team has long followed the guidelines of collaboration over competition, so it’s very important to us that we all stay aligned and share our learnings.

From this, our team strategically pivoted into the digital landscape and increased our frequencies across social media, our blog and newsletter efforts.

Previously, our focus on these channels was heavily centered on communicating updates and changes. It was our platform to inform.

With the industry in a heavy state, we decided as a team to shift our focus onto inspiration, comfort and collaboration. We have since moved on to provide uplifting content and storytelling on these channels to help inspire and motivate through this challenging time.

A few examples include interviewing longtime partner Peclers Paris, who summarized a Sustainability Trend Forecast for the fashion industry, providing our recommendations for Creative Online Learnings and Virtual Fun, promoting local restaurants and grocers in the fashion district that are open to encourage the support of small businesses and even curating a #WFH Podcasts and Playlists guide. Our goal has been to create light in a time of darkness.

We are also continuously offering promotional support to our retailers by featuring them in blog interviews, spotlighting those who have pivoted to an online shopping platform, and highlighting their products and specials in curated shopping and style guides, like our most recent one for creative Mother’s Day gift ideas.

Additionally, we are showcasing our tenants through blog post interviews and, most recently, offering our showrooms the opportunity for Instagram take-overs that will allow them to directly share their brand offerings.

Jennifer Bacon | Show Director, Fashion and Apparel

Texworld USA & Apparel Sourcing USA

These are certainly unprecedented times, and although nothing will ever replace face-to-face interaction—especially in our industry—we felt that it was our obligation to provide a short-term solution for our exhibitors and visitors by still offering a place to connect. We are excited to have a virtual event for this summer’s edition of Apparel Sourcing USA alongside Texworld USA and Home Textiles Sourcing. Amid this disruption, we have found an alternative to keep our community connected, both international and domestic, until we meet again.

We are aiming to make the visitor experience similar to the physical show by providing various opportunities to do business. These features include custom online “showrooms” to highlight innovations, AI matchmaking, and meetings and video chats to view the textiles and network. In partnership with Lenzing Fibers, our robust educational component will bring a strong daily lineup of industry experts sharing their insights on the latest trends, global sourcing post-COVID-19 as well as innovative sustainability initiatives.

Our goals were simple: to create a platform for the textile-sourcing community to have meaningful interactions, engage in educational discussions and continue to cultivate relationships to further their business needs. Now more than ever brands and retailers need to remain up-to-date on what’s new and relevant, and Apparel Sourcing USA, Texworld USA and Home Textile Sourcing are aiming to continue to fulfill that commitment.

Hillary France | CEO & Co-founder

Brand Assembly

At Brand Assembly, we are really proud of our physical events and the in-person connections that materialize from them. We have often talked about what virtual means to us and how anything virtual has to be a complement to our physical shows, not a replacement.

With that in mind, we quickly launched a Slack workspace just for our community to keep everyone connected. We held town halls via Zoom for brands, retailers and showrooms. We put together an online directory of PPE products made by independent designers. And now we’re getting ready to announce a new and exciting virtual product and virtual event for our June 15–17 show that will bring the spirit and energy of our physical trade shows to life in a new digital format. So stay tuned!

Kelly Helfman | President

WWDMAGIC, Project Womens, Micam Americas, Sourcing at MAGIC

Informa Markets has completely transitioned to a virtual-meeting model using Microsoft Teams. Sharing our screens to reference presentations, platforms and floor plans internally has been key as we discuss the next steps for MAGIC, Project and Coterie.

Teams has also empowered us to connect more authentically with our audience. Now that we meet on video, we see our customers more than ever, and our brands, bosses, buyers and colleagues get a glimpse into our real lives. They see my kids in the background, my face with less makeup, my home. It’s been nice to interact with people more personally as opposed to just seeing everyone’s “work” selves.

As we reinvent our fashion events for 2020 and beyond, we are increasing digital tools for our customers as well. While the way we communicate has changed both personally and professionally, virtual technology has allowed us to find new and imaginative ways to create better, authentic relationships—and that’s something we’re all grateful for.

Sharifa Murdock | Co-founder

Liberty Fashion & Lifestyle Fairs

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we already knew the power that the digital world had on all industries. Now more than ever we are utilizing our digital tools to emphasize productivity and connectivity internally and externally.

In a time where uncertainty is present, we are connecting with our community through surveys, webinars, fireside chats and social-media lives. Our mission is to always support our communities throughout this time as well as develop tools that even after the social-distancing bans have been lifted to be able to effectively run their businesses successfully. As an event company, we still believe in the importance of in-person events but will be offering a digital space as well to balance out both needs. Times like this will only make our industry stronger and work better together.

Marion Pradier-Sentucq | Sales & Marketing Director

Curve

The first thing we did in March was pick up our phones to make sure our clients and partners were healthy and safe. Naturally, the need for unity and increased communication within the lingerie community came up in our conversations, which led to the launch of Curve’s webinar series.

Most of Curve’s attendees are specialty stores coming from all over North America. The last thing we wanted was for them to feel forgotten and alone in their stores with no support or guidance on what to do next. The first topic addressed in the weekly series was “Managing Your Business When Your Front Door Is Closed” to give some pointers on how to manage this period. After being met with overwhelming positive feedback, we have continued to host these digital seminars to provide a platform to explore the most important topics to our industry at all levels, from manufacturing and design to retail and e-commerce. We would like to sincerely thank all of the hosts and experts that we have worked with on these for sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with the Curve community.

These webinars have been a very successful way to keep the community connected beyond the Curve show floor, and this is definitely an avenue we will continue to build on. Curve is becoming “phygital” and moving more into a hybrid of a physical and digital business platform for the industry. As we continue to plan our physical events for fall 2020, we are also in the process of hosting a virtual event to allow brands and attendees that cannot join us in person to still play an active part in Curve’s business. More information will follow as we fine-tune these exciting new plans.

See what more of our industry friends had to say in this Apparel News Q&A.

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