Voices from the show
Organisers shared some of the voices recounting an event that solidifies its status as a global hub for the mass-produced footwear and accessories market…
“I never thought I would find such a varied range of collections and suppliers from literally all over the world. This was my first time at Riva del Garda, but I will do everything I can to return.” Viona Maulidia – Matahari (Indonesia). “Transparency is a stylistic detail that will undoubtedly shift from the catwalks to next seasons’ best-sellers, from ballerinas to boots.” MariaCristina Rossi – Arsutoria (Italy). “Following the huge success of e-commerce during the pandemic, the situation has now stabilised, but we are at the fair looking for new partners and suppliers able to stimulate the market with fashionable and well-priced offerings, and we have found that.” Beate Anna Rehm – La Colibrì (Germany).
“The Business Scout service allowed me to focus on finding suitable partners for my needs, which also meant I avoided wasting other exhibitors’ time.” Andrew Wood – Steve Madden (Hong Kong – China).
“The flood in Rio Grande do Sul devastated countless businesses and put many people in dire straits. But all the Brazilian brands wanted
to be here at Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags regardless, because this fair is crucial for orders, kick-starting work and giving hope to the workers and residents in our region.” Letícia Sperb Masselli – Abicalcados (Brazil).
Celebrating start-ups At the 101st edition of the show, there was also a high focus on innovation dedicated to distribution, thanks to the presence of 10 start- ups from seven countries. The renewed interest in Innovation Village Retail further underscored the invaluable role of innovation in the fashion industry, of which the industry itself has proven to be keenly aware.
In particular, the presentation by Tymely, which integrates process mining, automation tools, AI and LLM to model customer service processes in the retail sector, caught the attention of the 18 jurors tasked with selecting the winner of the Start-up Competition. A solution enabling up to 80 per cent automation of customer service tasks and the handling of even the most complex tickets. While existing “chatbot” solutions mainly address frequently asked questions, Tymely also deals with requests requiring deep system access, with ticket coverage reaching an unprecedented 80 per cent, including partial order exchanges,
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changed shipping addresses, returns and more. Tymely and the other two finalist start-ups (Fibble and YouAddict) will accompany the fair organisers to Copenhagen during the next stage of Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags Around the World, where innovation dedicated to distribution will be promoted in collaboration with the Danish Retailers Association. GianPaola Pedretti, Exhibition Manager, concluded: “This year of record growth, in which we also celebrated 50 years of business and 100 editions, motivates us to further pursue internationalisation, ensuring the best possible matching of supply and demand. So, we will continue to visit industry players all around the world with the Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags Around the World project. We will head to China, India and Turkey in the coming months seeking to further expand the diversity of collections available at the next show in January.”
The next edition of Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags takes place on 11 to 14 January 2025.
AUGUST 2024 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • 21
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