Minister supports Shoe Fair in Madrid

The Balearic Minister for Commerce, Industry and Energy, Josep Juan Cardona, has journeyed to Madrid to give government support to some fifty companies from the Islands who are taking part this weekend in “International Leather Week”, that will include an exhibition of Shoe Manufacturing and Fashion at the Juan Carlos I centre in the Spanish capital. Government sources said Cardona will be officially accompanied on the occasion by Kurt Viaene, director of Industrial Promotion and Francisco Tutzó, head of the Commercial sector. The Exhibition, attended by some 800 exhibitors from more than 20 countries, had its opening ceremony on Friday and will conclude today.
Some 50 Balearic shoe manufacturing houses will put their designs on show for the Spring-Summer season of 2004.
Lina Pons, of Alaior's Calzados Ponti, is one of the first entrepreneurs to have attended the exhibition when it was originally set up ten years ago in Madrid. “For us, it's an excellent exhibition. Our clients, who are principally from Spain, come here year after year” . Trini Florit of Torres Saurina, was pesimistic however.
It has been rumoured that the government will not be making subsidies available for the trade sector wishing to visit the Exhibition as of next year.