Indian Shoe Bazaar - Fairs: ILD 2004

The World's Biggest Leather Garment Fair of The World: ILD

Istanbul - TURKEY: The International Leather Days, rated to be the biggest leather fair in Asia and Europe by world leaders in leather industry, is preparing itself for the year 2004. With about 38 thousand visitors from 55 countries in 2003, ILD became the "the biggest event among world leather exhibitions", and it is getting ready to once again host the leather world in 2004.

ILD has become a tradition over the years, and forms a bridge to international markets for Turkish leather products and trademarks, in parallel with the developing Turkish leather industry, and thus, managed to become focus of the world leather industry. After the success of the 2003 exhibition, international publications wrote that the Turkish leather industry has reached the peak of its power with 'International Leather Days'. ILD, which was quoted as "Turkiye at top of its power in the leather world with this exhibition...", "Turkiye's International Leather Exhibition", "Istanbul is focusing on fashion and young designers...!" in these publications, will enhance its position with the 2004 exhibition. Turkiye has become an attraction for the world market with its production capacity, quality, and economic price advantage, and will present this potential to foreign customers.

UDS, which used to be an exhibition for all possible leather and leather accessory products, intends to shift its emphasis on leather garment, fashion, and finished products. ILD, which was rated to be the world's biggest leather garment exhibition during recent years, felt the need to shift away from garment in parallel with leather becoming the primary material of interest. This shift in “International Leather Days”, which showed a clear growth since millenium, will appeal to leather professionals, with only leather garment and finished leather products being exhibited after 2004. Leather garment as well as finished leather products, such as leather bags, leather goods and leather shoes will be displayed in this exhibition. From 2004, leather and sub-industry will be presented in the specialized Golden Horn Exhibition, which will be organized simultaneously with ILD. The exhibition will continue its mission to carry the Turkish leather fashion to international platforms, in parallel with Turkish leather garment companies becoming brands. The fashion events Leather'IST and Leather Products Designer Competition (deri'signer), to which the companies will participate, will emphasize the position of Istanbul as a fashion center.

ILD has grown 41 percent
With the increase in work potential as well as in number of exhibitors and visitors after the year 2000, ILD has shown a growth trend with the demand continuously increasing. The number of exhibitors in ILD has increased to 159 as of June 25. In the previous year, this number was 132. The area of the exhibition has also increased by 41 percent.

Intensive and efficient promotion
The promotion activities for ILD, which initially has grown in parallel with the adjacent markets, and now has become the meeting point for customers coming from Asia, Europe, and all over the world, continue at full rate. The exhibition targets all of the traditional markets, coast-line, and remote markets, and promotion activities extend from Europe to Asia, from Africa to the United States, from Canada to Scandinavian countries, and from the Balkans to Russia, shortly all over the world.