The Hong Kong-based Asia Pacific Leather Fair (APLF) has announced the hosting of a special edition of APLF ASEAN in Bangkok, Thailand, from 19 – 21 October 2022 at the new Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok, Thailand. In addition, APLF Dubai 2023 from 13 -15 March 2023 at Sheikh Saeed Halls 1-3 and Trade Centre Arena, Dubai World Trade Centre in UAE.
Ms Grace Lee, Event Manager at Informa Markets Asia, and APLF Director, Mr David Bondi, Senior Vice President at Informa Markets Asia and Mr Suwatchai Wongcharoensin, President of Thai Tanning Industry Association, have announced the salient features of these upcoming events at the webinar press conference today.
Since 2019, when APLF was last held in Hong Kong, they believed that face-to-face access to buyers from China and Southeast Asia would be difficult due to travel and quarantine restrictions for international travellers. Luckily, when the spread of Covid 19 is over, the ten-nation ASEAN bloc has re-opened for business. With Bangkok at its commercial hub, the city will be the restart point to welcome back Asia-Pacific (APAC) buyers.
APLF ASEAN will be in a 3-in-1 format combining Leather, Materials+ and Fashion Access, where more than 300 exhibitors from around the world are expected to gather in Halls 1-2 of QSNCC, covering around 11,500 square meters. It is among the first events in QSNCC, a world-class exhibition centre in downtown Bangkok and will be in service starting September 2022.
Supporting Partners
The enthusiasm generated by APLF ASEAN in Bangkok has secured the active support of two of ASEAN’s leading tanning and footwear associations – namely the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (LEFASO) and the Thai Tanning Industry Association (TTIA).
“APLF ASEAN in Bangkok opens up an outstanding sourcing opportunity for leather and materials for regional manufacturers. Apart from being the leader in footwear and leather goods manufacturing in the region, Vietnam is one of the world’s biggest importing countries of leather and raw materials due to our robust manufacturing industries. LEFASO and our members are looking forward to supporting and participating at APLF ASEAN,” stated Phan Thi Thanh Xuan, Vice Chairwoman and General Secretary of the Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association (LEFASO).
“The Thai Tanning Industry Association (TTIA) is delighted to welcome APLF to Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok, to hold a special ASEAN edition of APLF in October. In addition, the international exhibitors and buyers expected to attend APLF ASEAN will be able to gain firsthand experience and knowledge of what the TTIA and its members have to offer in terms of products and expertise from its leather sector,” stated Suwatchai Wongcharoensin, President of Thai Tanning Industry Association.
ASEAN is the third-largest economy in Asia
ASEAN is a fast-expanding trade bloc consisting of 10 member states, namely: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The bloc is the third-largest economy in Asia after China and Japan, with a population of 660 million and total GDP growth of 5.5% in 2022, as forecast by the IMF.
ASEAN signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which entered into force on 1 January 2022, with its five regional trading partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. RCEP has been billed as the world’s largest Free Trade agreement, accounting for about 30% of the world’s GDP and over a quarter of global trade. Initiatives proposed within RCEP include eliminating tariffs, reducing non-tariff trade barriers, strengthening supply chains, facilitating cross-border investments, business cooperation and e-commerce, and enhancing the protection of intellectual property rights.
APLF ASEAN is the first opportunity to meet buyers from Southeast Asia face-to-face since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020. International suppliers of raw materials, semi-finished and finished leather, tannery chemicals, footwear, leather goods, and all types of fashion accessories will rekindle and strengthen their business ties in this important economic region of Asia.
With restricted access to international suppliers for more than three years, the organisers of APLF ASEAN are confident that buyers from the regions will grasp the opportunity to visit the professional business platform offered by APLF in Bangkok and fulfil their sourcing requirements by meeting known and new suppliers.
APLF Dubai
“This special edition is made to reunite the international exhibitors and APAC buyers. While APLF Dubai was supported by many the Middle East and North African countries in March, we look forward to seeing more Southeast Asian buyers this time. A bit different from what we have had before, APLF ASEAN is not merely a tradeshow, but also combining matching, education and experiential elements.” stated David Bondi, Director of APLF and Senior Vice President at Informa Markets Asia.