2012 Footwear Awards Unite The Industry!


The Footwear Industry Awards, held on Sunday 19th February 2012 to coincide with the Moda Show, at the Forest of Arden Hotel, 4 miles from Birmingham NEC, has been hailed as one of the best attended and most enjoyable awards events in the industry’s recent history. With over 220 guests it was a full house on the night! Tickets for event sold out a week before, with a waiting list for ‘no shows’.


Association, the Independent Footwear Retailers Association and the Society of Shoe Fitters, working together as one, with Footwear Today, to reward their peers. The event awarded high achieving brands and retailers, whilst also offering the industry a valuable networking opportunity.


A Commenting on the Footwear Industry Awards,


Richard Kottler, CEO of the British Footwear Association, said: “The event was a great success and will develop into a really important part of the footwear calendar. BFA members enjoyed the evening and were pleased to receive several awards and the word will undoubtedly spread for the coming years that any event covering such a wide cross section of the footwear sector deserves their support and encouragement. We are looking forward to next year already!


hugely successful and widely publicised event, it was the first which saw all the trade associations, including the British Footwear


As President of Footwear Friends, Richard was also delighted that the evening raised £2050 for the charity, “it will really make a difference to our ability to help those in the industry who need help. The generosity of the trade and the Footwear Organisers is much appreciated and welcomed”.


Speaking on behalf of his members, Arthur


Spencer-Bolland, Secretary of the International Footwear Retailers Association, said "The first Footwear Awards were a great success and we at IFRA were pleased and proud to have been involved. We look forward to improving even more on this excellent event next year."


Laura West, Secretary of The Society of Shoe Fitters


told Footwear Today “The Society of Shoefitters would like to thank Datateam for putting together a fantastic event for the footwear industry, which without doubt will be another sell-out next year. The best thing about it was the equal mix of suppliers and retailers".


“The predictable raffle was replaced with a Heads & Tails game and the wine flowed generously all evening. It reminded me of shoe fair events twenty to thirty years ago. The trade was very supportive of one another and there was great camaraderie between companies which of latter years had sadly dwindled, but this event certainly rekindled the 'feel good factor' and made the Moda Shoe Fair an even more enjoyable occasion”.


For more information on next years awards, please visit: www.footwearindustryawards.com


2012 • FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY AWARDS • 3 “It really united the industry. Awards dinners


are normally prohibitively expensive and rather starchy and as Independent retailers are not having an easy time it would be impossible for most to attend. However with this in mind Datateam managed to host an affordable, glitzy, relaxed and really fun event.”


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