The foreign visitor numbers showed better improvement than their Italian counterparts and exceeded 2,000 total buyers (from more than 50 countries), accounting for 28% of attendance.
Driving the foreign presence was the significant interest shown by Japan with nearly 300 buyers at the event, plus good numbers from the Middle East with exceptional results from Saudi Arabia, Israel and Jordan; the event also attracted strong attendance from South Korea and the United States. Buyers from the U.S. were back up after a few years on the downswing.
Among the most important European markets were Austria, Germany, Portugal and Spain and strong attendance from Eastern Europe and Russia.
Sposaitalia Collezioni confirmed its role as a reference point for international bridalwear, an industry that can weather an economic crisis only when the quality is truly exceptional. This quality was clear in the collections of the 170 brands in this edition, which have elicited a more than positive response from buyers and the international media.
The final numbers clearly reflect the performance of the markets: the Italian market is still experiencing difficulty, while the foreign markets continue to drive Italian production, especially countries reporting a growing, solid gross domestic product.
Overall, this year was a positive edition: buyers - and all the key names checked in - arrived with a desire to see the new items and make deals; and the manufacturing companies gave their best, in the collections and in the presentations.
