Shoes Galore – Shoe trade shows

Shoes Galore – Shoe trade shows

Shoes are as old as man himself. Shoe trade shows? Maybe a couple centuries back. But the people’s love for footwear has made shoe trade shows a vital tool in the shoe industry. The wife of a former Philippine president holds the top spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most number of pairs of shoes (more than 3,000 pairs!). If she wore different pairs of shoes everyday, it would take her a little more than eight years to be able to wear the last pair! But in so far, the attendees of shoe trade shows as well as the billions of revenues earned in this industry manifest the importance of such events to introduce new styles and trends of footwear.

In the United States, the World Shoes Association (WSA) is the largest footwear trade market in North America with one million square feet of shoes and 26,000 attendees. The association holds shoe trade shows twice yearly at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Sands Expo and Venetian Hotel. Next year’s exhibit will be in Las Vegas Convention Center and The Venetian on July 30 – 2nd August 2007.

Shoe manufacturers from around the globe exhibit the latest styles in footwear as well as accessories, handbags, and foot care products. Consumers are certainly going to have an exhilarating experience of going after the latest trends of footwear from men’s, ladies, children’s, athletics, to handbags, accessories, shoe care, jobbers, computer technology, publications, footwear industry associations, International Pavilions and designer collections.

December is also going to be exciting for shoe trade shows as the New York Shoe Expo will hold its exhibit at the world-renowned Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York from December 5-7, 2006. The expo is the biggest show on footwear in the eastern coast. Consumers will certainly be having so much fun as the expo features more than 600 fashion footwear brands that will be exhibited in international pavilions, open booths, and FFANY showrooms meant for its members. The exhibitor categories of this affair include ladies’ footwear, men’s footwear, and children’s footwear, handbags and accessories, the latest technology in the footwear industry, footwear publications and footwear associations.

Other shoe trade shows are also doing exhibits in other parts of the world like in China, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, etc., and each fair draws out the latest styles in each country representing their own culture and traditions.

As the annual growth of the global population increases, so will the people who are going to buy shoes. Definitely, the shoe industry is one industry that would never lose its grip in the market.

“Hands On” Trade Show Exhibits Lure Attendees

“Hands On” Trade Show Exhibits Lure Attendees

When trade show exhibit goers walk the vast exhibit hall floors and come upon highly creative, interactive trade show displays, they get to stop and join in some fun. The trade show attendee becomes part of the exhibit. By using experiential activity, the trade show exhibitor not only entertains but also educates their key customer prospects with entertaining “hands on” experiences.
Why are such participatory activities important at trade shows? Quite simply: they boost traffic to the trade show exhibit site, leading to product interest and often substantial sales from experiencing first hand a dynamic new product.
When Event Marketer covered the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in early January 2006, they found exceptional trade show exhibits that offered interactive experiences. Here are a few exhibitors whose “hands on” trade show displays showcased new product trials on the trade show floor:
Canon — Canon’s goal was to get attendees’ hands on its products. They had three hands-on display islands staffed by representatives. One of the islands featured PowerShot and EOS cameras and camcorders, another showcased printers, and the third island featured smaller digital cameras and camcorders. Canon also had a theater that mimicked a working film set with camera booms and professional stage lighting. Visitors demonstrated Canon’s new products and took photos and videos of a working model-train village choo-chooing away in their center island.
Dolby — A TrueHD Theater was Dolby’s centerpiece to run demos of its high-definition audio technology. Separate semi-enclosed zones showed off Dolby’s audio technology for HDTV home theaters, surround-sound video gaming, and PC home audio. The gaming zone offered visitors a chance to try Burnout, the new Xbox 360 racing game. The Xbox’s Dolby Digital sound technology seduced game enthusiasts to come try their new products.
Garmin — Several interactive demonstration stations helped Garmin get its portable navigation systems into people’s hands. Two circular islands each featured eight handheld navigation units for visitors to try, while plasma screens atop the stations ran videos about the products.
Nokia – The company divided sections of the trade show exhibit—which featured everything from its mobile office products to its latest Bluetooth-capable phones—to create individual environments for products and presentations. Visitors checked out the products on tables on the main floor. Nokia created interactivity with touch-screen computer kiosk booths, where trade show attendees could learn more about key product features.
Remember that people want to try before they buy. At trade shows, they want to see for themselves and be part of the action. That is why the use of interactivity works especially well at trade show displays that introduce new products and services.