Expo Riva Schuh sends "sign of optimism"
21/01/2009
The organisers of the first major international footwear event of the year, Expo Riva Schuh at Riva del Garda in Italy, have reported visitor numbers that are only slightly down on last year's at 11,014.
The event this year took place from January 17-20.
Of the footwear buyers visiting the event, which this year took place from January 17-20, almost 60% were from outside Italy.
A slight 2% drop in the total number of visitors was compensated for by an increase of 1.3% of visiting companies: 5,606 at this edition, against the 5,534 in January 2008.
The organisers said the event would give "positive input" to the whole of the footwear sector as these results went beyond expectations during an extremely difficult economic period.
“These figures”, said Roberto Pellegrini, president of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi, “definitely exceed even our most optimistic expectations. Despite inaugurating a show that in itself was already a success totally confirmed by exhibitors, who show no drop in numbers and, on the contrary, continue to fill our long waiting list, we did however fear the effects of the international economic crisis. We can say that we are more than satisfied by the repeat figures for visitors and above all by the positive climate felt at the fair. We think that this can be an important sign of optimism sent out to the whole sector and the fashion system in general”.
Director of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi, Giovanni Laezza, added: "From what exhibiting companies told us, plenty of orders were placed. We think that the cold weather over the past few months has helped by emptying warehouses and giving buyers greater liquidity for purchases. All the big international groups attended and their presence emphasised the increasing importance of advance orders."
For her part, Brigitta Bancher, Expo Riva Schuh manager, said: “This edition and its results clearly show a need to provide the market with products that are not just price-based but also have fashion content. We have to say that our companies have shown they are capable of meeting this requirement: there were plenty of collections on show featuring on-trend materials, shapes and colours, even if still at the prototype phase."
She said most exhibitor companies had booked to come back for the summer edition of the event in June.
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