Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags remains the industry's leading business event for footwear and leather goods. This edition is unquestionably the most similar to pre-pandemic editions. The presence of multinational producers and buyers from both European and non-European nations also indicates this.
The Chinese production will also be present at the Show, both through real representatives or through the Hybrid Service mode, which confirms the previous winter edition's success. This is a service that allows producers to send samples to be shown at the fair in dedicated stands and for brand representatives to be coordinated remotely via a digital platform. This solution enables people to conduct business even when physical presence, travel, and meetings are difficult to organize, as happens nowadays.
This is an activity that promotes a bigger concept, namely, encouraging exhibitors and buyers to meet in order to facilitate exchanges and business, as is the case with the incoming buyer programme, which is run in partnership with the ICE Agency (ITA – Italian Trade Agency). In addition, a true Business Scout service is planned for future editions and is already in the testing phase: individualised assistance to help consumers locate the items or companies that are of real interest to them.
Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags is an event that has never ceased investing in its growth and evolution, ensuring that it not only maintains but improves its position in the industry with each edition. It is confirmed as a supporter of issues such as sustainability, traceability, and innovation, as evidenced by the comprehensive schedule of ten events held on stage during the four days of the fair, with 40 guests and speakers.
It begins with the inauguration on Saturday, June 11th, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., during which Alessandra Albarelli and Roberto Pellegrini, respectively General Manager and President of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi, the mayor of Riva del Garda, and several ICE Agency executives will speak.
Following that, on Saturday afternoon, two more interesting programmes with two primary focuses: one on consumers, with free admission, and on the prospects and trends of Generation Z. João Maia, APICCAPS General Manager, Mara Eugenia Errobidarte, and Dean Harry Diabate, Business Development Advisor, EMEA & Asia, Tmall Global, and Senior Consultant WGS will give a presentation. The other, by invitation only, is devoted to Germany's fashion market. German buyers, who have been severely hampered by Covid limitations in recent months, have made a strong showing at this edition of the event. On Tuesday, June 14th, from 11.00 to 12.00, we'll be back to chat about the market and fashion trends, this time with a focus on the United States.
Another programme not to be missed is one presented by William Wong, a new member of the Expo Riva Schuh Scientific Committee for Sustainability, on Sunday, June 12 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The main theme will be traceability in the leather products and footwear industry, a topic that has received a lot of attention and that still needs to be clarified. What are the problems and what are the options? A debate on sustainability from an ethical and environmental standpoint that is placed into a larger one.
The main focus of the Innovation Village Retail, the exhibition village that returns to Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags, will be traceability. Open to start-ups and meant to spread the footwear and accessories industry's innovation culture. A full programme of events, interviews, round tables, and speeches will accompany it over the four days of the event. It will be an opportunity for the ten entrepreneurs chosen to compete in the Start-up Competition to present their innovative product to the public and an expert jury. Management, product handling, sales data analysis, and the construction and management of B2B and B2C customer interactions will be among the topics covered by the present innovation initiatives. Alberto Mattiello and Ellen Schmidt-Devlin, both members of Expo Riva Schuh's Scientific Committee, the first Head of Innovation Retail Hub and the second in charge of International Sourcing, will serve as extraordinary moderators of the three pitches for comparison between the entrepreneurs.
These are the appointments with the Innovation Village in detail:
Sunday 12 June, 3 pm: Tracking Movement of People and Products
Sunday 12 June, 4 pm: Data Tracking to Improve Supply Chain and Sustainability
Monday 13 June, 11 am: Monitoring Online Client Behavior and Feedback
The competition's winning start-up will be announced during a special meeting on Monday, June 13th, from 15.00 to 16.30.
However, the celebration of the 75 years of history of Arsutoria School which will host the final phase and the award ceremony of the Design Kind Leather Contest will be by invitation only, aimed for creative experts in the fashion world who have been able to best express the essential ideals of Kind Leather: sustainability, reuse of materials, and better resource management. Everything will begin at 5 p.m. on Monday, June 13th.
The Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags programme is rounded up by two evening activities. On Sunday, June 12th, the traditional Gala Dinner will be conducted, providing an opportunity for institutions, buyers, exhibitor organisations, and the press to interact. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, June 14th, from 6.30pm to 9.30pm, a “Thank You” dinner will be held on the shores of Lake Garda in the lovely setting of Spiaggia Olivi.
