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International leather trading boards - INDEX
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by 22222222 @ BLUE PLANET'S COMMODITIES @ 22222222, com@blueplanetc.com on 1999-03-11 15:01:52. * PARIS ERA UNA FIESTA * (CON PERMISO DE E. HEMINGHWAY) NO ONE IS PROPHET IN HIS OWN COUNTRY. I HAVE JUST BEEN READING THE EXCELLENT MARKET NEWS SERVICE NR. 2/1999 DATED 25.1.99. PAGE TWO IT IS SAID "ANOTHER INTERESTING FACT IS THE MORE AND MORE ENCOUNTERED WISH TO RETURN TO THE PORTE DE VERSAILLES IN PARIS AND FORGET ABOUT OTHER LEATHER FAIRS". MAY I ADD "INCH ALLAH" ? I FIRST VISITED PARIS FAIR WHEN I WAS 25 IN 1964 SINCE THEN I HAVE MAINTAINED MY OWN STAND IN THAT FAIR UNTIL IT WAS CLOSED. OLD PROFESSIONALS IN THE LEATHER TRADE WILL MAY BE REMEMBER PARIS STARTED TO LOOSE GROUND WHEN THE INITIAL DATES OF THE EVENT WERE CHANGED SEVERAL TIMES CREATING CONFUSION BETWEEN FOREIGN VISITORS. THEN THE DISASTROUS MOVE TO VILLEPINTE GAVE PARIS A DEADLY WOUND AND THE FATAL DECISION TO GAMBLE ALL CARDS ON HONG-KONG AND MIAMI GAVE THE FINAL BLOW TO THE AGONY OF OUR BELOVED FAIR, AND PAVED THE WAY TO BOLOGNA. WHO EVER IN ITS DAY TOOK SUCH NEGATIVE AND DEADLY DECISION FOR OUR TRADE IN GENERAL AND FOR PARIS MORE IN PARTICULAR FORGOT TO PUT IN THE BALANCE SOME VERY IMPORTANT FACTORS SUCH AS ; * SOME ONE SAID EVERY MAN HAS TWO BELOVED PLACES IN HIS HEART HIS HOME TOWN AND PARIS. * PARIS LEATHER FAIR, OR THE WELL KNOWN "LA SEMAINE DU CUIR PORTE DE VERSAILLES EN SEPTEMBRE" WAS NOT JUST AN OTHER LEATHER FAIR IT WAS A FIEST-"THE INTERNATIONAL LEATHER FIEST". * AFTER THREE TO FOUR LAZY WEEKS OF TRADITIONAL SUMMER HOLIDAYS FOR OUR NORTHERN HEMISPHERE ANY TRUE LEATHER MAN WAS EXCITED TO GO TO PARIS AND RE-OPEN THE SEASON. * PARIS WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT AND WITHOUT BEING CHAUVINIST IS PARIS (WHO KNOWS WHAT CHAUVINIST MEANS OR BETTER SAID WHERE THAT WORD COMES FROM ? MR. CHAUVIN WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ONE OF THE OLDEST AND MORE WOUNDED OFFICIALS OF THE NAPOLEON'S GREAT ARMY, WHO USED TO SAY "MORE PATRIOT THAN CHAUVIN IMPOSSIBLE" SO AM I). * SOME FOREIGN CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS USED TO SAY :"WE ALWAYS COME TO PARIS WITH SAND ON OUR FEET" : * PARIS WAS ALIVE BECAUSE PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD USED TO RUSH AND CROWD THERE. IT WAS NEITHER AN ASIATIC FAIR NOR AN AMERICAN ONE AND NOT EVEN A EUROPEAN ONE IT WAS REALLY "THE GENUINE INTERNATIONAL LEATHER FAIR" AND THAT MADE ITS WORLD FAME AND COMMERCIAL IMPACT ALL OVER. * IF YOU WERE A LEATHER MAN YOU HAD TO BE THERE, ALMOST COMPULSORY. IN JULY BEFORE SUMMER CLOSING THE LAST SAID ON THE PHONE TO CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS WAS "SEE YOU IN PARIS NEXT SEPTEMBER". * MANY OF THE FOREIGN VISITORS USED TO COMBINE BUSINESS AND PLEASURE, TAKING A WEEK HOLIDAYS IN PARIS WITH THEIR FAMILY EVENTUALLY WITH THE LAST LOVER OF THE YEAR. * WHEN YOU ORGANISE SOMEWHERE AND INTERNATIONAL FAIR THE FIRST CRITERIUMS TO CONSIDER ARE HOTEL ACCOMODATIONS, RESTAURANTS, LOCOMOTION, COMMUNICATION SERVICES, AND EVENTUALLY LEISURE. IN NEARLY FORTY PROFESSIONAL YEARS I TRAVELLED ALL OVER AND ATTENDED MOST OF THE WELL KNOWN FAIRS, PARIS, MILAN, FLORENCE, BOLOGNA, HONG KONG (SINCE THE VERY FIRST SESSION WITH MR. PETER GRANT/TAURUS AUSTRALIA IN THE OLD PARKING) OPORTO, PILESPAÑA/BARCELONA, IBEROPIEL/MADRID, MIAMI, CASABLANCA/CITEC, CANTON/KANGCHOW (SINCE 1964), DUSSELDORF, PIRMASENS, FRANKFURT, BUT IN MY VERY MODEST OPINION OF FRENCH MAN (CHAUVINIST) NO ONE COULD COMPETE WITH PARIS. * MANY OF OUR OLDEST FRIENDS CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS FROM OVERSEAS HAVE TOLD US :"WHAT A SHAME PORTE DE VERSAILLES WAS CANCELLED, PARIS IS PARIS ; WE MISS IT". * AS I SAID PARIS SEMAINE DU CUIR WAS "LA FETE DU CUIR : MOST OF THE REGULAR VISITORS HAD THEIR BOOKING MADE YEAR AFTER YEAR AT THE SAME HOTEL AND SOMETIME AT THE SAME RESTAURANT TOO, WITHOUT FORGETTING THE TRADITIONAL DINNER ON "BATEAU MOUCHE". * MOST OF US KNEW OUR WAY, BUSES, UNDERGROUND, STREETS, HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS LOCATIONS, IT WAS EASY TO MOVE AROUND. * AT PORTE DE VERSAILLES ALL THE DIFFERENT SECTORS OF THE GREAT LEATHER INDUSTRY WERE REPRESENTED AND IN THE SAME DAY A TANNER STARTING FROM THE GROUND FLOOR AND GOING UPSTAIRS COULD BUY NEW CHEMICALS, MACHINES, HAVE A LOOK AT THE LATEST FASHION, SELL HIS LEATHER AND BUY RAW MATERIALS. * BEING A TRUE INTERNATIONAL FAIR PARIS USED TO WELCOME VISITORS FROM EVERY CORNERS OF THE BLUE PLANET AND GOING THERE YEAR AFTER YEAR YOU KNEW YOU WOULD MEET MOST OF YOUR FOREIGN BUSINESS FRIENDS CUSTOMERS AND/OR SUPPLIERS. AT LEAST I USED TO. * PARIS HAS TWO MAIN WELL EQUIPPED INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS AND IF YOU WERE EUROPEAN YOU COULD DROVE THERE EASILY. * DURING PARIS FAIR MANY VISITORS USED TO ORGANISE, DINNERS, PARTIES, COCKTAILS OR EVEN JUST A DRINK AT A FAMILIAR CAFÉ OR PUB WITH SOME OVERSEAS FRIENDS. * I WISH TO APOLOGISE TO OUR AMERICAN, CHINESE, ITALIAN, GERMAN FRIENDS BUT MIAMI, HONG KONG, KWAWNGCHOW, SAO PAULO, DUSSELDORF, BOLOGNA CANNOT/COULD NOT COMPETE PARIS. BOLOGNA FOR INSTANCE IS WITHOUT ANY DOUBT A GOOD, BIG, IMPORTANT, FAMOUS PROFESSIONAL FAIR BUT THERE IS THERE A TREMENDOUS SHORTAGE OF HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS, TRAFFIC AND LOCOMOTION ARE TERRIBLE AND IT IS MUCH MORE AND ITALIAN FAIR FOR ITALIAN PEOPLE THAN A GENUINE INTERNATIONAL FAIR. AND IT IS BLOODY EXPENSIVE TOO ! * TO MOVE FROM PORTE DE VERSAILLES A NICE, PLEASANT, WELL COMMUNICATED, ATTRACTIVE CENTRAL PLACE WITH EVERY SERVICES AVAILABLE. ALL AROUND, IN AND OUT HAS BEEN A TERRIBLE AND DEADLY MISTAKE. * PARIS FAIR PORTE DE VERSAILLES WAS KILLED BY SPECULATION NOT BECAUSE OUR SECTOR IS DOWN. * TODAY OUR TRADE IS GOING THROUGH THE MOST SEVERE CRISIS OF THE CENTURY AND PEOPLE START TO REALISE TOO MANY FAIRS ARE KILLING THE BUSINESS AND NOBODY MAKES A PROFIT OUT OF THEM. * ONE BIG AND ONLY WELL ORGANISED FAIR AT A GOOD CHOSEN DATE IN PARIS PORTE DE VERSAILLES IS THE SOLUTION, "WHY NOT MAKE A REFERENDUM ABOUT IT THROUGH INTERNET ?" * VILLEPINTE IS A DESERT DURING THE DAY AND A TRUE NOMAN'S LAND DURING THE NIGHT. YOU HAD TWO OPTIONS ONLY ; SLEEP IN AN HOTEL NEAR THE FAIR FAR AWAY FROM ANYTHING AND BE AT WORK AT 9 AM BEFORE EVERYBODY ARRIVES AT 11 H. BY NIGHT DRIVE OR TAKE UNDERGROUND FOR OVER AN HOUR TO TAKE DINNER IN PARIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND RETURN BACK TO YOUR HOTEL AT MIDNIGHT WITH GUTS IN YOUR MOUTH WITH INSECURITY ALL OVER OR SLEEP IN PARIS AND LOOSE TWO OR THREE HOURS A DAY TO GO DOWN TO VILLEPINTE AND BACK TO THE CENTRE. VILLEPINTE HAS BEEN A VERY WRONG MOVE INDEED. ALL WHAT WE SAID HERE ABOVE HAS BEEN WRITTEN SEVERAL TIME, SEVERAL YEARS AGO TO THE SIC MANAGEMENT BUT OUR VOICE WAS A RAIN DROP IN THE OCEAN OF THE INDIFFERENCE OF THE PERSONS IN CHARGE. BY THE WAY - DON'T TRY TO BE A PROPHET IN YOUR OWN COUNTRY THE LAST ONE IN MEMORY WAS NAILED ON A CROSS 2.000 YEARS AGO. SO SEE YOU IN PARIS NEXT SEPTEMBER ? WHO KNOWS ! FRANK (15.03.1999) |