Who's Next - Première Classe consolidates attendance in January

By

Anaïs Lerévérend

Published
Jan 30, 2015

Last weekend, attendance at the trade show Who’s Next - Première Classe was almost identical to one year ago, with a differential of only 252 visitors. 57,970 attendees roamed the aisles of the Parisian ready-to-wear and accessories event, which was held at Porte de Versailles over the course of four days, while initially one might have feared a worse fate given the current economic environment.

Some countries sent fewer visitors but others did well, balancing the overall final result. France, for starters, accounted for 64% of total visitors, seeing only a 2% decrease. The number of buyers from greater Paris was 1% higher, while attendance from the rest of France declined by 4%.  

In total, international attendance rose by 3% but with varying numbers by country. Despite significant declines in Italy (-20%) and Belgium (-22%) in particular, European attendance grew by 4%. Spain in particular took a step forward with a 7.6% increase, becoming the country with the third largest representation, surpassing Belgium. The UK also recorded growth (+10%), as did Switzerland (+5%). 

Asia, meanwhile, returned to form following a significant drop in January 2014. The continent’s numbers rose this season by 9%, an increase driven by China, Hong Kong and South Korea, as Japan’s turnout was down 9%. 

Visitors from the Americas meanwhile were down 6% as compared to last year, while the Middle East remained stable. In terms of smaller contingents: Africa rose by 28% and Oceania fell by 9%. 

Beyond the numbers, the show's organizers could be satisfied with their new segmentation strategy: the reorganization of ready-to-wear into more precise universes, as well as the new grouping of accessories under the banner Première Classe was effective. 

On the basis of these improvements, the show now hopes to reaffirm the importance of Paris on the exhibition calendar and to increase its attendance during the next editions.