Cosmopolitan by nature, international by choice and global for its ability to involve every link in the chain. That is Expo Riva Schuh, which is opening its 88th edition – an event that is increasingly becoming THE meeting point between supply and demand for the volume footwear sector.
“The international spirit of the event will be at the core of this edition – states the Chairman of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi, Roberto Pellegrini – this time around involving new countries and new markets. This was the objective of our Expo Riva Schuh Around The World project, that gave us the chance to present our fair in South Africa and which will continue over the next few months with a tour taking us to markets that we have identified as being strategic. Our objective is to broaden the horizons of our event, offering new business opportunities to the companies and buyers that take part in the fair.”
1,464 exhibitors from 40 different countries have chosen the exhibition halls on the shores of Lake Garda to present their Spring/Summer 2018 collections, in an exhibition area covering the equivalent of 32.290m2 net.
The South African visit during the Expo Riva Schuh promotional tour resulted in the confirmation of SAFLEC’s participation – the South African Leather Export Council, as well as a new collective of South African exhibitors who will come to Expo Riva Schuh for the first time. Other new collectives include those from Russia, with some companies from Saint Petersburg, and Bulgaria. These two new additions will join existing collectives from China, India, Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Indonesia, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Tunisia and Turkey.
Expo Riva Schuh will also provide the opportunity to find out more about the characteristics and potential of the South African market, during a meeting with the South African Consul General in Milan, Titi Nxumalo, scheduled for Monday 12th June at 14:30 in the Buyers Lounge, Hall C4.
“Business relationships are, and will remain, at the heart of this fair, but we are convinced that an event such as ours can also become an important opportunity for gathering information about the market and new potential commercial horizons - explainsGiovanni Laezza, Managing Director of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi. As a matter of fact, there will be new collectives of manufacturing companies at Expo Riva Schuh for the first time, from Russia, Bulgaria and South Africa, fruits of the strategy we have taken over the past year to raise awareness in new markets. The information is strategic in this sense, and for this reason we have organised a special occasion dedicated to the South African market, which may still be limited in numbers, but which has excellent growth prospects and can provide an interesting frontier for the near future. Likewise, our inaugural session has been created with this in mind, the idea being to provide an overview of the world of distribution and on the present and future scenarios."
The 88th edition of Expo Riva Schuh opens with a talk entitled “New strategies for footwear distribution: heading for omni-channel retailing,” which will take place on Saturday 10th June at 11:00 am in the Conference Room at the Exhibition Centre. Daniel Agis Branchi, international expert and consultant on distribution for various companies in the fashion business, will take part in a dialogue with Giovanni Laezza and Carla Costa. The meeting will be moderated by Andrea Cabrini, (Director of Class CNBC), and will provide the opportunity to reflect on the new role of sales outlets in a context that is becoming increasingly multi-channel and also on the new distribution dynamics borne of an ever-increasing integration between on-line and off-line.
“Distribution today is facing up to the increase in on-line channels, which offer a number of development opportunities, but also pose numerous problems - comments Carla Costa, Manager of theRiva del Garda FierecongressiFairs Unit.For the world of fairs too, digital will certainly be one of the frontiers to cross in the near future. Nowadays, it is a change that affects the services aspect, above all, something which has always been close to the heart of Expo Riva Schuh. Thanks to on-line platforms, we can offer more inter-active and personalised services and this no doubt provides added value for our event.”
In Riva del Garda, the world of footwear is getting ready to meet up for four intense days of business, and more: meetings, debates, style and trends are the ingredients that make up the 88th Expo Riva Schuh.