EXPO RIVA SCHUH established itself as the largest global meeting point for footwear and manufactured goods
More than one thousand brands from 44 countries participated in an edition featuring a technical agenda, international buyers and a runway show generated with artificial intelligence.
The Italian city of Riva del Garda once again concentrated part of the international activity linked to footwear, handbags, bags, fashion accessories and luggage. From June 13 to 16, 2026, the 105th edition of EXPO RIVA SCHUH and GARDABAGS was held, organized by Riva del Garda Fierecongressi.
The event presented a broad and diversified offer of collections, differentiated by materials, designs, qualities and manufacturing techniques. In parallel with the exhibition, the halls were the setting for debate among participants regarding trade agreements between Europe and Mercosur, Australia and India.
Thus, geopolitical tensions formed the backdrop to the fair, a context that could affect the footwear industry not so much through a decline in demand, but through an increase in costs.
According to information provided by the organization, the fair’s structure covered 51,400 square meters, across 11 halls of the exhibition center and four hotels.
In this edition, 44 countries were represented through more than one thousand brands, with a predominance of non-European companies, at 62.6%, compared with those from the EU, at 37.3%. In terms of number of exhibitors, China led participation, followed by Italy, Türkiye and India.
EXPO RIVA SCHUH featured exhibitors from South Africa, Tunisia and Vietnam for the first time, while GARDABAGS BRANDS added a Vietnamese delegation, a brand from Croatia and a company from Japan.
In terms of attendance, around 8,000 visitors were recorded, representing a stable figure compared with the same edition last year. Buyers from Latin America, Poland, Greece, India and Israel showed growth in attendance. In this sense, the international profile reached 69.7% of the total.
For its part, the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) promoted the participation of 235 buyers and journalists from 51 countries through the visitors program. Of this group, 26 nations took part in this format for the first time.
“EXPO RIVA SCHUH and GARDABAGS are the expression of a collective intelligence involving exhibitors, buyers, associations, experts and professionals from all over the world,” stated Alessandra Albarelli, general manager of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi.
The incorporation of Artificial Intelligence had one of its most visible points in the AI Runway Show, presented for the first time within the event. The content offered a technological interpretation of the runway, while keeping the focus on physical products: footwear, handbags and bags selected from the exhibitors’ Spring/Summer 2027 collections.
The staging combined digital identities with an industrial scenography. Various angles were projected on three giant LED screens, including close-up images aimed at highlighting the items on display.
The agenda was completed with 22 events, among which Area Highlights revealed trends in footwear, manufactured goods and the DACH market. The tenth Innovation Village Retail and Start-up Competition also took place.
In parallel, Market Focus maintained its regional analysis format, with blocks on the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The latter began with the session “India Calling — New Routes for Global Business”; while the presentation on Europe included FAIST -Agile, Intelligent, Sustainable and Technological Factory-, by CTCP, the Portuguese Footwear Technological Centre.
Finally, under the theme Glow Up, hall A2 inaugurated the GARDABAGS Area Showcase.The next edition will be held from January 16 to 19, 2027, in Riva del Garda, Italy.
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