The shoe industry has considerably changed in the last two decades. While shoes used to make up the volume of footwear revenues, sneakers and athletic shoes have progressively become the bulk of today’s market. Similarly, the United States, which was once the world’s number one footwear manufacturer has now become the world’s larger footwear consumers, opening the top spot for global shoe manufacturing to China who has dominated the international shoe market in the past years.

Although the shoe industry has become a global industry, with so many various well-known brands coming from different countries of the world and building consumer demands, China is the biggest shoe-making country with half of the world’s shoes being manufactured there. China’s shoe capital alone, Wenzhou, possesses six-thousand-three-hundred leather and shoe making ventures with .7 billion dollars production value every year. The fast growth of Wenzhou’s shoe industry has created part of China’s largest shoe market.

The Wenzhou International Shoes and Leather Products Trading Fair plays an important role in the industry, as it is one of the major shoe trade shows that platform China’s footwear manufacturing, particularly Wenzhou, exhibiting various footwear products including leather shoes, casual shoes, rubber shoes, sandals, slippers, sports shoes, children shoes, climbing boots, work shoes, canvas shoes, handbags, purses, wallets, gloves, suitcases, and briefcases.

One of the latest independent shoe trade shows in China is the Guangzhou Shoe Fair; it is also one of China’s foremost and most global exhibitions for sourcing comprehensive leather sector’s supplies. The shoe trade shows visitors consist of importers and exporters of ladies shoes, children’s shoes, men’s shoes, footwear accessories, and leather goods, as well as manufacturers and the general public. Footwear exhibits include fashion shoes, dress shoes, indoor shoes, work shoes, sports shoes, men’s and ladies shoes, slippers, sandals, boots, and rubber shoes.

China’s shoe trade shows has marked an increase of six percent the past year, with exhibitors rising by twenty percent in figures, and participated by about twenty-five percent visitors from outside China such as Korea, Japan, the US, Australia, Italy, Great Britain, India, Malaysia, and Thailand, reflecting China’s continuing positive market position in the global shoe industry.

Nevertheless, even though China has conquered shoe manufacturing, other countries such as Europe, particularly Portugal, has emerged less than a decade ago with the industrial know-how and marketing ability to take hold of its own shoe manufacturing in a fiercely competitive global market, exporting ninety-percent of its produced shoes to the international footwear sector.

There is a good chance that you have heard of a fashion show before, but have you ever attended one? Unfortunately, there are many individuals who believe that fashion shows are only for the rich and famous, not the “everyday,” individual. While this may have been true at one point in time, it isn’t anymore. For that reason, if you are interested in getting out to see a fashion show, you are encouraged to do so.

When it comes to attending a fashion show, many individuals do not do so in fear of feeling out of place. As it was previously mentioned, fashion shows aren’t just for the rich and famous, but many people cannot seem to get that myth out of their minds. Many individuals out there ask themselves “why should I attend a fashion show.” In all honesty, you really don’t need a reason to attend a fashion show, but if you are looking for one, you may want to continue reading on.

One of the greatest reasons as to why someone attends a fashion show is if they run a fashion store, a clothing store, or a clothing accessory store. If you run either one of these stores, there is good chance that you want to make sure that your stores are carrying the latest trends in fashion. While you may not necessarily end up buying clothing from the designer or designers featured at a fashion show, you may get a good idea of what is now popular or will soon be popular. This can help you when it comes to buying merchandise for your store. In a way, attending a fashion show can help to improve the success and profits of your business.

In keeping with those who attend fashion shows for business reasons, if you run a fashion consulting business, you may also want to think about attending a fashion show. Fashion shows regularly focus on the latest fashion trends or soon-to-be fashion trends. If you are in the business of providing expert advice, tips, and knowledge to those who want to improve their fashion sense, fashion shows can be a great research tool for you. It is also important to mention that fashion shows come in a number of different formats. For instance, you can find fashion shows that focus on plus sized clothing, work wear, swimwear, eveningwear, weddings, men, and teens.

Although those who run a fashion related business are more likely to benefit from attending a fashion show, you can also use fashion shows to your own personal advantage. If you are just interested in looking your best or interested in learning how you an incorporate the latest fashion trends into your wardrobe, you may want to think about attending a fashion show. As previously stated, fashion shows come in a number of different formats; therefore, no matter what you are looking to learn more about, fashion wise, you should be able to find a number of fashion shows that can give you what you need.

Another one of the many reasons why you may want to attend a fashion show is if you are looking for a good time. There is nothing like grabbing a group of friends and going to see a fashion show. You already know that fashion shows come in a number of different formats, but did you also know that they are also held in multiple locations? In addition to being held in well-known fashion cities, like New York or Paris, fashion shows can also be held locally. Whether the fashion show you want to attend is held in a popular location, like New York or Paris, or even just at your local shopping mall, you and your friends will likely have a fun and memorable experience at a fashion show.

As a reminder, you really do not need to have a reason to attend a fashion show. If you want to attend one, even if it is just to see what one is like, you may want to start making your arrangements as soon as possible.

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.