Silmo bosses have confirmed details of this year’s Paris show – including the controversial move away from the centrally located Porte de Versailles, to the Paris-Nord Villepinte near Charles de Gaulle airport.

The event will take place on September 23-26 in one of Greater Paris’s largest exhibition areas, around 25 minutes by train from the Eurostar terminal Gare du Nord.

Organisers are keen to emphasise that despite the new venue much of the show’s key features and old charm will remain. Guy Charlot, president of Silmo said: “The economic crisis has highlighted the need to concentrate on the essentials without neglecting important peripheral issues.

“We have therefore been careful to retain all the fair’s essential features – warm welcome, market trends, friendly atmosphere, visitor comfort, whilst at the same time build a new, more effective fair with one constant objective: to continually strive to better serve the needs of the entire industry.”

However, some exhibitors are concerned the move outside of central Paris will have a detrimental effect on visitor numbers. Neal Grimason, sales and marketing director for Continental Eyewear, told OT: “I understand the move is inevitable as the site is being redeveloped. I’m not familiar with the new venue so am unable to comment on the facilities, but I am aware of the location. On a good day – it is 45 minutes drive out of Paris. But, as you rarely get a good day on the roads around Paris, the journey is likely to be in excess of an hour. This is too far.

“One of the attractions for visitors to Silmo has been the relatively central location of the show to enable attendance at the show to be combined with seeing the delights of Paris. Consequently, I feel the new location could be detrimental to the numbers attending.

“We have exhibited there for many years and our intention is to continue doing so. However, the success of the exhibition is dependant upon the quality and numbers attending. As such, we will have to assess the pros and cons of the venue change after the show,” he added.

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• Silmo to move - 09/10/2009