Event organiser Australian Exhibitions & Conferences (AEC) has confirmed the cancellation of its 'Streetlab' trade fair, just weeks before its scheduled launch date.
The fledgling Streetlab event, originally set to run from August 14 to 15, had been developed to target the niche youth-culture market, with brands such as Bettina Liano, Living Doll and Cheap Monday already signed on to exhibit.
However, according to AEC, the event has now been cancelled indefinitely, due to a “lack of industry support”.
Commenting on the decision, AEC managing director Harvey Stockbridge described the outcome as “incredibly disappointing”.
“The AEC team wanted to be 100 per cent confident that Streetlab was going to secure return on investment for its exhibitors. [However], indicators are that there has been further softening in retailer sentiment towards attending the show. With this knowledge we wanted to save our exhibitors risking their investment and, with regret, have decided to cancel the show,” he said.
“After months of planning and dedication to the show, it is a big blow to the team who have worked so hard to develop it, but we feel proud of what we’ve done and the decision to do right by the exhibitor.
"The decision to cancel the show, until the climate is right, has not been an easy one, but ultimately one that will serve the exhibitors and all involved in the long run.”
Stockbridge also said the Streetlab event had already secured a number of high-profile speakers for its first seminar line-up, including Leanne Follett from trend forecasting firm Scout and Ebay’s head of fashion Jo-Ann Hicks.