GDS show moves to new venue

German footwear fair GDS has been held for the last time at the Messe Düsseldorf site. From late August or early September 2017, the event will relocate to the city's Areal Böhler venue, close by on the other side of the Rhine.

According to the exhibition organisers, GDS and tag it! (a companion show that hosts companies involved in the private label footwear and accessory industry) have been elaborately redesigned over the past few years, in close cooperation with the shoe sector. A recent press release from the company states that although there was a great deal of support for the new concept from all sides, the expectations made of the new GDS have not been fulfilled.

Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, president and chief executive of Messe Düsseldorf, attributes this to the changes in the shoe sector. "The major event that GDS has been for over six decades no longer seems to be the right format for the current challenges within the shoe sector," he said. "For this reason, we are now taking consistent action with new responsibilities and a new venue."

Kirstin Deutelmoser, who has headed the GDS and tag it! team for some years, also sees the new direction for this footwear trade fair as an opportunity for the sector. "The market is acting ever more dynamically and requires a completely new solution. This can only be successful if it can be fundamentally rethought, without having to take existing structures and traditions into consideration," she commented. "My thanks go to all our customers, many of whom have been at our trade shows for decades, and the numerous supporters who have been at our side with advice to bring our concept to life. I hope they will use this chance for new beginnings at the shoe trade show."

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 4 of the March 2017 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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