1,389 companies from 40 different countries exhibited on an overall net area of 32,740m² with new exhibitors coming from Australia, the UAE, Greece, Singapore and the U.S.
A seminar on “Footwear supply and demand – Stepping into the future” was held on the first day of the event. Professor Alberto Castro from the Portuguese Catholic University in Porto and Consultant to APICCAPS (the Portuguese Footwear Association) was a guest speaker and he outlined the various aspects of change in the footwear sector over the next ten years.
Other themes involved the development of online platforms, already a part of the event and successful among large buying groups, the new emerging markets and the increasingly important role of China. According to Professor Castro, China has passed from being “the factory of the world” to the delocalisation of production in countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia, therefore, expanding and redesigning the production map of the world.
The next edition of Expo Riva Schuh, will take place January 16-19, 2016.
