Wednesday, June 1, 2022 EXPO RIVA SCHUH & GARDABAGS: THE SERIES OF MEETINGS FOR THE NEXT SHOW, TO TAKE PLACE FROM 11 TO 14 JUNE

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Sustainability, traceability and innovation are the highlights featuring in the events of the #show, which can also be streamed live

Riva del Garda, 1 June 2022. A trade show that can reinvent itself season after season by acting as the favoured observatory of its sector and conveying in a timely manner its developments and most impactful contents to its community of buyers and exhibitors. This has always been one of the winning features of Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags, the international marketplace dedicated to footwear and accessories that returns to the Riva del Garda Exhibition Centre from 11 to 14 June, with a packed programme of events and meetings promoted under the supervision of its Scientific Committee. The result will be a four-day event dedicated to exploring the most topical issues, with speakers and guests engaged in a comprehensive debate on the world of volume footwear, leather goods and accessories.


Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags once again confirms its role as an effective platform able to generate not only business but also company development, acting both as a market space and as a useful tool for sector players to maintain an active and concrete dialogue on developments in footwear and leather goods production and distribution”, said Alessandra Albarelli, General Manager of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi.


This essence is fully expressed in the important and topical issues discussed by the authoritative voices of the key players: 12 scheduled events involving more than 40 speakers and guests on the stages will be live streamed on the show’s platform from the opening day and will be available on demand until 30 September.
In particular, a webinar organized in partnership with Alibaba.com will be recorded and broadcast after the show. The leading platform for global B2B e-commerce and a partner of Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags, Alibaba will be in attendance over the four days of the show. It will unveil B2B trends to the community and provide Italian SMEs with useful advice on how to export their products around the world.

Sustainability, fundamental in the approach to the future - particularly for the footwear sector - will be the common thread linking the macro-themes to be explored, including trends, supply chain traceability, innovation and consumers. Consumers will be the focus of the meeting that will follow the opening on Saturday 11 June, “The consumer: three different perspectives, from trends to Gen Z priorities”, a precise examination of the factors guiding the purchasing behavior of new consumers, with an in-depth look at the scenario in China, with Dean Harry Diabate, Business Development Advisor Emea and Asia of Tmall Global, together with João Maia, General Manager of APICCAPS and María Eugenia Errobidarte, Senior Consultant of WGSN.


The issues of traceability and transparency of the entire supply chain, the real discriminating factor today in creating truly sustainable policies, will again be at the heart of the panel discussion to be held on Sunday, 12 June entitled “Traceability in the leather goods and footwear sector: challenges and opportunities”. This will be led by William Wong, recently appointed to the show’s Scientific Committee as a sustainability expert, and also Chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Brands and Vice President of the Hong Kong Footwear Association. William will be supported by Alberto Lampis, Strategic Sourcing Raw Materials Senior Specialist O-PM Footwear & Accessories at Hugo Boss, Ildemar Marchi De Almeida, CEO Conceria Priante - JBS Couros e Kim Sena, Sustainability Manager JBS Couros.


Product traceability will also be the focus of the Innovation Village Retail and the Start-up Competition promoted in cooperation with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), as part of the Italian Start-up project. During the days of the show, the ten selected start-ups will have the opportunity to present their disruptive solutions in the field of fashion retail, linked to the theme of blockchain, metaverse and IoT, through pitch and discussion sessions. The events dedicated to young companies will be led by two exceptional moderators and members of the Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags Scientific Committee: Alberto Mattiello, Innovation Expert and Head of Innovation Retail Hub and Ellen Schmidt-Devlin, Expert in International Sourcing and Cofounder and Executive Director, Sports Product Management Program at the Oregon University.


On Tuesday, 14 June, the focus will shift to the US market with “Market Focus - market and fashion trends in the US”, a debate dedicated to exploring the US’s international role and the analysis of its highly recognisable business model. This will be moderated by Enrico Cietta, Chairman of the Scientific Committee and Fashion Economist, and Matteo Pasca, Vice-Chairman of the Scientific Committee, Fashion Expert and CEO of Edizioni AF.


he complete calendar of meetings and how to take part in them can be viewed on the website https://exporivaschuh.it/it/ and on the Digital Connection virtual platform.