China Shoe Industry Continues to Flourish
2006 Dongguan. China Shoes. China Shoetec Recorded 20,000 Buyers

Overseas Visitors Crowded at Fairground Regardless of Industry Challenge

Jointly organized by Messe Dusseldorf China Ltd., Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd., CCPIT-Guangdong Sub-Council and Dongguan Sub-Branch, 2006 Dongguan. China Shoes. China Shoetec, the only Ufi-approved footwear event in Asia, concluded with great success on April 24, 2006 at Dongguan (Guancheng) International Convention and Exhibition Center, Guangdong, P.R. China. The 4-days event attracted 19,872 domestic and overseas visitors, representing a 6.26% growth over the last edition. Amongst, 35.4% came from Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan Province, while 25.5% from other overseas countries and regions. The attendance and international mix made Dongguan. China Shoes. China Shoetec a sound premier footwear event in Asia.

According to the organizers, show scale this year is the largest ever. There were 426 exhibitors, which soared by 20%, occupying more than 1,200 booths. Regarding the international buyers, top 10 country origins, which account for nearly 50%, are Japan, the US, Korea, Italy, Australia, Turkey, India, UK, Thailand and Malaysia. Mr. Stanley Chu, Chairman of Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd., remarked, "The encouraging figures of overseas buyers reflected that in spite of the current market challenge from Europe, impact to the overall shoe industry of China is limited. European buyers still need to source in China while buyers from other countries and regions increase. With an accurate market positioning, we are confident that China Shoes. China Shoetec will continuously serve to be the best sourcing platform for middle-to-high end shoes in whole Asia."

The show was also highly appreciated by visitors. Many visitors commented that here they met suppliers and found products which were absent at Canton Fair. Mr. Massimo Donda, President of FEDERCALZATURE, said, "I see lots of good manufacturers here. The style and design of some shoes are ready to be sold in European market without any changes." Ms. Rita Rodwell, Senior Buyer - Ladieswear of Clothing City from South Africa, remarked, "I like this show very much. I have found some manufacturers of good quality and have already placed some orders! I will come back next year!" Mr. Jacques Goedike of Goedike Impex Canada Inc. said, "I love this fair and I find some good business partners here!

They have good shoes but reasonable prices. China Shoes is a real good choice to find China shoes." Ms. Tanja Tamse Dedic, Project Manager of Sintagri Co. Ltd from Slovenia expressed, "This is my first time to be here and I find it good! What I appreciate the most is that I can find some useful industry information and services counter in the show, not only shoe manufacturers.

" Mr. Jaroslav Sutarik, General Director of Imbiz Group from Slovak Republic said, "The fair is more interesting than I expected. I found some good factories here and I have already placed some sample orders." Mr. Ben Nothling, Director of Holster Imports Pty Ltd from Australia said, "I love this show. The shoes are fantastic! I can surely find a business partner here."

Fabulous Concurrent Events Captured Visitors' Attention

In line with the fair theme "Fashion Pulse & Business Exploration", there were a series of concurrent activities to enrich show content. The most attractive is the dynamic and trendy fashion show. Featured by splendid combination of lighting, music and image building, collections of the coming seasons from Betta, Golden Union, Isca, Dongheng Leather, Quanzhou HengTai, Wenzhou Aolun, Huannio, Camphort captured every attention of visitors off stage.

At the Display Zone, apart from new footwear products by renowned manufacturers such as Betta Footwear, Hugo Score, A&A Studio, Dongheng Footwear, Golden Union and Hengtai Hongwei etc., the award-winning design from 2006 Hong Kong Shoe Design Competition was also a focal point of eyeballs. Innovative designs incorporating computer keyboard, Chinese paper-cuttings, Chinese opera theatrical mask, bird's nest, leave, bees etc. as the creative theme were definitely great inspiration to visitors.