Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags has expended its range of bags and leather goods at its Riva del Garda event this June.
Visiting some of the biggest footwear and leather goods producing countries, the staff of Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags have strengthened relations with leading sector companies and trade associations. International buyers attending the fair will now have access to a wider variety of goods, particularly from companies in India, Pakistan and Turkey.
The first country the Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags staff landed in was India. With a large and ever-increasing share of global footwear production, reaching 11.7 percent with 191 million pairs produced in 2021, the staff attended the Chennai Leather Fair and the Designers Fair to expand Gardabags' leather goods and bags offering. Project leader for Gardabags, Mauro Di Molfetta, and ERS sales & exhibition executive, Caterina Bricolo, met with the president and vice-president of Council For Leather Goods Exports India, Sanjay Leekha and Rajendra Kumar Jalan.
The meeting proved fruitful, the CLE was able to bring a strong group of bag manufacturers to the June event.
After India, the Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags staff travelled to Pakistan, one of the fastest growing countries in footwear production, reaching a market share of 4.9 percent in 2021. An important memorandum of understanding was signed by Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags and the Pakistan Footwear Manufacturers Association, which aims to strengthen the Pakistani presence at the Riva Del Garda trade show over the next three years.
While in Pakistan, Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags were able to visit a long-standing exhibitor, SGF, which has been presenting its Servis brand in Riva Del Garda for 35 years. With more than 500 sales outlets in the country, this market leader exports 1.5 million pairs of shoes annually to Italy alone.
The visit to Pakistan was also an opportunity for institutional meetings to be set with up with the Italian representation in Pakistan through the Italian Trade Agency. These meetings allowed the Italian Trade Agency to network with the exhibiting companies at the Mega Leather Show in Lahore, as well as the Pakistan Tanners Association and the Pakistan Gloves Manufacturers and Exporters Association. All members of these companies were invited to the next Gardabags.
Turkey was the final destination for the Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags staff. General manager of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi, Alessandra Albarelli, and Sales Exhibition Assistant, Ying Zhang, attended the Aymod fair to meet both the president and vice president of the Turkish footwear manufacturers' association.
The meeting was successful, strengthening the existing excellent relations between Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags and the Turkish manufacturing sector. In recent years, Turkish footwear manufacturers have increasingly grown their present at the Riva Del Garda event, reflecting the country's position as one of the key countries leading the international footwear market.
Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags' strengthening of its market coverage and relations with leading countries in the international footwear market allows the business platform to provide its buyers with the widest international sourcing offer. Its next international trade show will be held from 17 to 20 June, at the Riva del Garda Exhibition centre.
