Expo Riva Schuh&Gardabags is not only the most important international business exhibition dedicated to volume footwear, but it is also, and increasingly so, a hotbed of research and innovation, which finds its fulcrum and driving force in the 'Innovation Village Retail' project. In fact, the 'fair within a fair' project, dedicated to start-ups, companies, institutions and professionals, which aims to share the culture of innovation and create networking and business opportunities between emerging realities and established players, will continue in 2023. Organised by the Riva del Garda trade fair, in collaboration with Retail Hub and with the scientific coordination of Alberto Mattiello, the Innovation Village envisages the selection, by a jury of experts, of a series of innovative projects dedicated to the sector and proposed by start-ups and young companies. These projects will then be exhibited in a 'dedicated' space during the editions of the event and will be the protagonists of pitches and presentations in front of the public at Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags. But that's not all: among all the selected startups, a committee will identify the Startup Competition finalists, who will have the chance to become part of the Innovation Village Retail project of Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags for 2 years, that is until December 2024. The theme of the Innovation Village at the January 2023 edition will be traceability: management, product handling, analysis of sales data for strategy, creation and management of relations with B2B and B2C customers, communication and transparency in relation to the product and its production process.