GDS “no longer the right format” for footwear sector
17/01/2017
Responsibility for the event is being transferred to tradeshow organiser the Igedo Company, which will act on behalf of Messe Düsseldorf. The February edition will take place at Messe Düsseldorf’s main exhibition site for the final time, with the subsequent edition, scheduled to take place in late August or early September, to be located at the Areal Böhler estate, also in Düsseldorf. Full details of the new concept will be released as part of GDS in February.
Messe Düsseldorf began discussing changes to GDS following disappointing attendance figures for its July 2016 edition. Following a period of consultation on the future of the show, the only decision made was to return to an Autumn edition, rather than holding one in the summer. The organisers have now decided more radical action was required.
Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, president and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, explained: “The sector has radically changed over the past few years and the pace has picked up again. The major event that GDS has been for over six decades no longer seems to be the right format for the current challenges within the shoe sector. For this reason, we are now taking consistent action with new responsibilities and a new venue.”
Image credit: Messe Düsseldorf/ctillmann
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