USA : Footwear sector steps ahead with successful WSA show

Business moved forward and flourished in several market segments at The WSA Show in Las Vegas, particularly with independent specialty retailers and boutiques. The WSA Show and The Collections at WSA completed another successful marketplace, hosting men’s, women’s, and kid’s shoes, in addition to jewelry and accessories.
Materials at WSA made its debut and showcased innovative materials, components, chemical treatments and technology processes, and general suppliers to the industry -- making this the only marketplace in the world to offer a 360-degree viewpoint of the entire footwear industry.
A total of 28,700 participants attended, compared to 36,200 from the February 2007 show due to the later show dates, a one-time anomaly. According to WSA chief operating officer Diane Stone, “WSA focused on attendance promotion outreach where we could make a difference, with independent specialty retailers and boutiques, and saw a 31 percent increase in new buyers to the show. We anticipated some buying teams would be reduced or absent due to their individual needs because our retail relations team is in constant contact with them.”
“While our attendance was off some year over year, the buyers in attendance were serious, focused and doing business. Many brands had exceeded their expectations for results at the show. The late dates impacted many companies' planning processes on both the brand and retailer side of the aisle,” Stone continued.
Edelman, Oh deer!, Mia, Eastman, Crocs, Ugg, Steve Madden and Dolce Vita were just a few of the exhibitors who were happily surprised by the February 2008 WSA Show results. They experienced a steady stream of independents and strong international traffic.