June, 2024
The recently concluded Sydney Global Sourcing Expo was a smashing success, welcoming over 5,000 visitors during the three-day sourcing extravaganza at the International Convention Centre.
“It’s clear that there’s a huge amount of local demand for a truly global wholesale sourcing event of this kind, as evidenced by an over 48% year-on-year increase in registrations and attendance,” shares Marie Kinsella, CEO, International Expo Group and organizer of the Global Sourcing Expo.
GSE Sydney attracted over 500 exhibitors from over ten countries, including India, Korea, Thailand, Bangladesh, and Vietnam, all showcasing the best in apparel, footwear, textiles, and homeware from around the globe. The Global Sourcing Expo’s close relationship with various international trade associations and export facilitators was further reinforced through the participation of The Federation of Indian Export Organisations and Council for Leather Exports India, as well as Bangladesh Handicrafts Manufacturers and Exporters Association and National Export Development of Indonesia (Ministry of Trade).
Co-located with the China Clothing, Textile and Accessories Expo, the vast majority of visitors were key decision makers within their organization, with job titles varying from designers to importers to major retail buyers. 60% of visitors surveyed stated that they had come to the Sydney Global Sourcing Expo with the express intention of discovering new suppliers, with 89% of visitors finding connections with new manufacturers and suppliers, ensuring a mutually beneficial experience for exhibitors and attendees alike.
“The Global Sourcing Expo offers unparalleled opportunities to forge new partnerships and explore untapped markets, enabling trade buyers to drastically streamline their supply chain through direct ordering from international suppliers,” Marie says.
“What makes this platform so valuable to local buyers is the fact that they can see the product first-hand without having to waste time and money on overseas travel and sampling to find the right quality. The wide range of goods on display and suppliers with different capabilities and minimum quantity orders meant that every kind of business need was catered for,” she adds.
Global Sourcing Seminar Speakers Unafraid To Discuss the Hot-Button Issues Facing the Industry
Industry thought leaders were in the spotlight throughout the Global Sourcing Seminar Series, a feature event of both the Sydney show and the upcoming Melbourne Global Sourcing Expo in November.
Over the course of 13 hour-long sessions, a diverse range of sourcing-related topics were brought to the fore, including the ramifications of the EU’s new Digital Product Passport; navigating the Conscious Fashion Evolution; the risks and opportunities of AI in retail; supply chain traceability and how best to manage the Chinese garment supply chain.
While much of the focus of the Sourcing Seminar Series was on global trends, Australia’s thriving fashion industry was well represented through the ‘Australian Fashion Week Through the Eyes of the Executive’ seminar by Natalie Xenita of IMG Events and the panel discussion on Indigenous Fashion Projects which featured representatives from household name brands like David Jones, Joseph & James, Gali Swimwear, led by Michelle Maynard of the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation.
“Of particular interest was the Living Wage Movement panel discussion led by James Bartle, CEO of Outland Denim and joined by Melinda Tually, Director of Ndless: The New Normal and RMIT’s Professor Shelley Marshall,” shares Marie. “This hot-button issue has been subject to much debate, and we were incredibly fortunate to have panelists who could share both a practical and academic perspective on what steps brands must take to implement this across their global supply chain. One thing’s for sure – attendees walked away with a deeper understanding of how the Living Wage movement can empower workers to save and plan for a secure future – putting humanity back in fashion in the process.”
“We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees of the Global Sourcing Seminar Series who found the practical resources shared by our speakers to be highly applicable to their sourcing journey,” she adds.
The Sourcing Journey Continues in Melbourne this November
With Sydney now concluded, Marie and her team have turned their attention to the Melbourne show, set to take place from 19-21 November 2024 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.
“While there is a common remit of product categories in both the Sydney and Melbourne Global Sourcing Expos, there are distinctive education, feature, and focus areas to differentiate the two events,” she says.
GSE Melbourne is co-located with the highly-anticipated Footwear & Accessories Show, where attendees can discover more than 150 global footwear and accessories suppliers and manufacturing partners showing their latest collections and capabilities.
“Online registrations for Melbourne are now open and given the huge spike in visitor attendance at our traditionally smaller Sydney Global Sourcing Expo, we are expecting record-breaking turnout come November,” Marie concludes.
