The third edition of the German tradeshow arising from the ashes of GDS fully satisfied the expectations of operators, registering a positive turnout in terms of visitors (9.800 professionals, approx. 75% national), with all exhibitions spaces fully booked (and an encouraging waiting list), in order to offer the right mix of established and emerging brands: from comfort shoes to trendy and premium footwear, and from fashion for men and women to children’s fashion. More than 500 brands (around 350 exhibitors) coming from 20 countries worldwide presented the latest trends for spring-summer 2019, alongside seasonal re-stockings, transforming the fair into one of the events that is not to be missed on the international trade fair agenda. Without a doubt, the location of Areal Bohler played its own role, with its trendy/post-industrial appeal and functional division of the exhibition areas into the zones of Premium, Contemporary, Comfort, Urban and Kids.
Among the brands present in the Premium section were Pedro Miralles, Barracuda, Bruè, Overland Shoes, Kenneth Cole, Paul Silence, RucoLine, and Voltan 1898, among many others.
Instead, the Contemporary Zone saw the presentation of collections by brands like Bruno Premi, Donna Carolina, Color of California, Maripé, and Nero Giardini from Italy; Unisa from Spain; Mephisto from France; Jack & Jones Footwear from Denmark, and Marc O’Polo from Germany, while the Comfort Zone featured leading names like Berkemann, Finn Comfort, Josef Seibel, Marc and Romika.
At the same time, the Urban Zone hosted labels like Antony Morato, Pavement and US Polo, without forgetting the children’s footwear presented by brands of reference like Naturino, Primigi, Bisgaard, Braqueez, Noel, Go4It and Pepe Shoes.
There were also many upgrades presented at the September edition, starting with the Premium Zone, which was extended by around 1,900 m² of additional exhibition space, while the new Fashion Lifestyle Corner’ hosted the live fashion shows of ‘Powered by Marc Cain’ in combination with shoes by Högl and Peter Kaiser. This formula of fashion shows met up with the great interest of operators, and future editions will be extended to include other brands of accessories.
Another new change regards the main entrance to the fair, which has been completely covered with a tent so that taxis and shuttles can now drive directly up to the reception. This was also the location of the outdoor area, where the Opening Party was held on Sunday evening with street food and bistro. Making the most of the pleasant summer weather, which also included a number of hot and sunny days, the outdoor area hosted brands like Darkwood from Turkey, Havaianas from Brazil, Sioux-Grashopper and Chiemsee from Germany, Scotch & Soda from the Netherlands, and P448 from Italy, in original exhibition spaces of great impact.
Ulrike Kähler, Project Director and CEO of Igedo, expressed great satisfaction with the positive outcome of this edition, declaring, “It was without a doubt a great success. By now, Gallery Shoes has established its role among the sector’s fair, and in the future, we will be committed above all to expanding the international scope of the event, while however remaining attentive in our careful selection of exhibiting brands”.
