Imagine asking a navigation system to take you where the future of the footwear and bags industry is being shaped. A map appears — highlighting constantly evolving production boundaries, shifting trade routes, and balances that change season after season. And on that map, a pin. In fact, two: a shoe and a bag, transformed into location markers pointing to a precise place. Riva del Garda. This is where the market meets.
This is the visual and conceptual core of the new campaign by Expo Riva Schuh and Gardabags — the two international trade fairs organised by Riva del Garda Fierecongressi — which are now changing their tone of voice. The chosen claim —“Be Here or Be Wrong. Meet. Connect. Grow.” — is anything but diplomatic. And that is precisely the point.
FROM TRADE FAIR TO PLATFORM
For years, trade fair communication focused on products, numbers, halls and exhibitors. It worked. But the world has changed, and the value of attending Expo Riva Schuh and Gardabags today is no longer measured only in signed orders. It is measured in market understanding: knowing where the business is heading and assessing whether your strategy is aligned with reality. In short, the Riva del Garda fairs are no longer just places where you come to sell them, they are places where you come to understand. Strategic platforms for interpreting the global market.
THREE TRUTHS, ONE MESSAGE. The campaign is built around three key tensions shaping the industry: The world is fragmenting, but in Riva del Garda, it comes together. The concept explicitly refers to a “United Nations of Shoes & Bags”. Markets are unstable, so trade fairs become a point of stability. Stability within instability. The future is accelerating — and those who are not present risk missing more than just a few orders. They risk losing direction. “If you’re not here, you won’t be there” is the sharpest expression of this idea.
The result is a single campaign for both 2027 editions — January (16–19) and June (13–16) — built around one strong claim and two “twin” visuals: the shoe for Expo Riva Schuh, the bag for Gardabags. The visual will evolve with the seasons, but the message will remain the same. Because when a concept is true, it does not need to be reinvented every six months.
BE HERE OR BE WRONG. It’s not an invitation. It’s a statement. Riva del Garda is where the dynamics of the industry are defined: being there is a strategic choice; not being there is simply a mistake. Some may find it provocative. But perhaps this is exactly the kind of message the industry needs.
