Industry sources are abuzz with rumors of Liberty Fashion Fairs (which owns the trade shows Capsule, and Cabana) possibly being sold to event producer Clarion UX. Liberty, which is holding its Liberty Fairs show at the Sands next week, is losing its show space in Vegas after this season and reportedly was looking for a space downtown. Clarion-owned Womenswear In Nevada (WWIN) shows at the Rio Hotel.
This turn of events would undoubtedly leave some of Liberty’s exhibitors puzzled, given how differently they are positioned in the market compared to those of WWIN. Where WWIN exhibits lower- and mass-market brands, Liberty presents major mid-market labels, including Puma and Wrangler.
Despite these rumors, a spokesperson for Sam Ben-Avraham, the founder of Liberty Fairs, said that “there is no company sale about to happen. In the five years of Liberty’s existence the show has had interest from UBM, Clarion and many other entities for different types of opportunities and transactions, but Liberty is not under any contracts with anyone. They are not selling the company as a whole at any given time. In addition, the show is not moving to the Rio Hotel next season.”
Only time will tell!
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