Bread & Butter just open to industry professionals after all

German fashion trade show Bread & Bread has canceled its upcoming “Public Days” which were set to take place during its summer edition, July 8 to 10. The trade fair will now only take place over three days, instead of the five days as previously announced and remains only open to

industry professionals.

Last year December, Berlin-based fashion trade show Bread & Bread announced plans to extend its next edition by two days and allow consumers the opportunity to visit the trade fair during those two days.

In a press release, the fashion trade fair stated that the aim of the public or consumers days was to give the exhibiting brands and designers an “additional marketing tool to directly address the end consumer, thus the ultimate customer”. Bread & Butter had hoped to use a combination of concerts, fashion shoes and brand focuses events to develop an interactive “lifestyle festival” open to consumers, exhibitors and industry professionals.

Bread

& Butter to remain "ideal platform" for exhibitors and buyers to do business

Karl-Heinz Müller, founder of Bread & Butter commented: “It remains our aim to offer our exhibitors and the specialist retailer an ideal, contemporary platform for communication and business.”

Today the fashion trade show revealed that although its idea to include consumer days was “natural in theory,” they failed to take into account the extra costs the exhibitors would incur showing for an extra two days without the promise of meeting potential buyers, as well as logistic and organizational challenges that came with extending the duration trade show.

The implementation of the consumer days also led to number of industry insiders and experts starting a series of “controversial discussions,” with some being in favor of the public days and ready for change, whilst others flat out rejecting the idea.

Müller added: “Following the very successful January event, we are reassured to continue our previous path focused and undeterred. Therefore, we meet the wish of the majority of our exhibiting brands and the specialist retail: the planned Public Days are cancelled, Bread & Butter – tradeshow for selected brands remains a professional tradeshow, for industry professionals only.”

The question now remains to see if Bread & Butter's rival, Panorama Berlin will also call off its consumer days. Shortly following B&B's previous announcement to introduce end consumers to its trade show, Panorama Berlin announced the introduction of two new divisions to the Autumn/Winter 2014-15 season, L'Hotel and The Mall, the latter of which will be open to consumers for its July edition.

Photos: Bread & Butter Fall/Winter 14 edition