Informa postpones Magic Trade Show in Las Vegas

Fashion manufacturers and buyers will not convene in Las Vegas for the Magic trade show this August as intended.

The Magic Las Vegas market –which also houses other key trade events such as the Project, Sourcing and Micam Americas reveals –will be postponed from the first Aug. 17-19 dates to Sept. 29-Oct.

Taking place in the Las Vegas Convention center, the format of these events will be “thoughtfully reconsidered” to honor the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s health and safety guidelines for social distancing and sanitation,” the team said in a statement.

Even though the events have taken place in August to honor the industry’s buying cycles, the decision to postpone the show aligns with the continuing uncertainty being felt throughout the country concerning retail’s reopening. The pandemic has also changed this year’s purchasing season, the team stated, pushing back normal timelines.

The decision may benefit wary attendees that aren’t quite ready to leave the safety of their homes for a crowded convention center just yet. A recently released report from IBM shows that three-quarters of customers are unlikely to attend a seminar or trade show this season due to the dangers associated with exceptionally attended in-person occasions.

While the fashion community is definitely eager to connect, and brands have devoted valuable time and effort to the logistics surrounding the series, the decision to postpone is in everyone’s best interest, based on Nancy Walsh, president of Informa Fashion Markets. “The team will examine the situation on a continuous basis” she said.

“At precisely the same time, we think it is our responsibility to the business that we serve to proceed and offer an opportunity for some form of business continuity while we reassess and operate through what fashion industry resembles within a post-COVID-19 universe,” she said. “We are hopeful to get September to come back to the display floor and are working tirelessly to make it happen, with a very concentrated effort on safety and health standards.”

“Should the September show occur, attendees will encounter a brand new, “more considerate” layout,” she said. On the other hand, intimate “micro-markets” will take place within precisely the same place to make way for social distancing guidelines, crowd-control measures, and cleaning protocols. Walsh explained that more information about these health and safety standards will be accessible on the Informa Markets Fashion site in the coming weeks.

Parallel to these efforts, the group is also investing in advanced digital options to support brands and retailers preparing for the spring and summer markets.

“We will continue to evolve our digital deal, both in terms of relevant educational content as well as with digital options that further enable our network to find, connect and socialize, wherever they are.”