With the initial curiosity connected to the debut of a new event and the pioneering spirit of many companies having passed, the European footwear industry confirms its acceptance of the new Gallery Shoes platform and its future role on the international trade fair calendar.
“Gallery Shoes has a solid reputation based on professionalism and expertise – commented Ulrike Kähler, Managing Director of IGEDO Company and Project Director of Gallery Shoes -. The response from the market has been excellent. The public confirmed its appreciation for the winning combination of various factors, including the short distances, transparency and manageable size of the show, the curated concept, modern vibes, and a representative number of quality brands presented within the individual zones of the exhibition”.
The event, in fact, proposed the new winter collections of the more than 500 brands presented by the 350-plus exhibitors from 17 countries. In terms of visitors, 9,800 professional visitors participated, for a slight rise from the event’s debut last August, contributing to a dynamic atmosphere of business negotiations. As in fact underlined by one of the exhibitors, Rosanna Santos, Sales Agent for Chie Mihara: “Gallery Shoes is an event that turned out very well, with a significantly high number of visitors. The size is manageable, offering a productive working environment, insomuch that we succeeded in meeting several new customers. Gallery Shoes is, in fact, and without a doubt, an ordering event”.
The individual exhibition areas were also a success – PREMIUM, CONTEMPORARY, URBAN and COMFORT –, saw their profile strengthened, thanks to the quality and growing number of brands, connected also to the creation of additional floor space. Even the KIDS zone received positive feedback, proposing itself as a “Show within a Show” dedicated to the fashion of the littlest set, benefitting from the relocation to Edelstahlhalle, which is a bigger and more luminous environment.
“Our priorities now – concluded Ulrike Kähler – are building on our expertise and a slow, steady and powerful vision of growth. We aim to keep developing the individual segments in order to ensure the event’s longevity”.
The high number of visitors at the Show was also reflected in the informative side events taking place in conjunction with the show, which included TW Order-Info by TextilWirtschaft, the press conference of the HDS/L German Federal Association of the Footwear and Leather Goods Industry, and the awards ceremony for the contest ‘Fashion meets comfort’, which was won by young designer Adam Frk for his sneaker-excursionist prototype.
Very popular and meeting up with approval were also the halls that hosted the various catering zones, aptly creating a pleasant and relaxing environment in line with what was the outdoor area in the summer edition and which was also used to host the Opening Party on the eve of the inauguration. This hall will serve as an additional exhibition space at the next edition of Gallery Shoes, contributing to the expansion of the fair’s offering.
The next edition of the show will take place from 2 to 4 September 2018, with the presentation of the Summer 2019 collections. Then it will follow: 10-12 March and 1-3 September 2019.
INTERVIEW TO ULRICHE KAHLER
“We are very satisfied with the results achieved at this second edition, which confirm the validity of the strategies used to create the new Gallery Shoes. We must, however, be very cautious in our next steps: many businesses asked us to take part in the event in the wake of the positive visitor turnout and the positive and dynamic atmosphere characterizing the fair, but we must set our sights above all on the presence of new brands that are innovative and interesting, and capable of providing the Show with more value. To this end, we will use the area that at this edition was reserved for catering to host new exhibitors. For the next edition in September, confirmed from the 2nd to the 4th, we are considering different initiatives that will involve also the use of the outdoor areas. March and September will become the months of reference for future editions. Finally, as far as the international scope of the visitors is concerned, it is important for us to start from the fact that the businesses interested in exhibiting at Gallery Shoes see Germany as a strategic market of great importance, and all other considerations must be based on this”.
