Last day at Expo Riva Schuh: confirmed the initial feeling of an altogether positive exhibition, which was again able to answer the needs of footwear industry operators from all over the world. Confirmed also Riva''s leadership in showing the trends of the 2004 spring-summer fashion season, and reaffirmed the now definitely international role of the event both for exhibitors and visitors.

"First impressions, right now, are positive - says Alberto Bertolini, president of the Palacongressi company who organized the event - the operators showed their satisfaction, and in these five exhibition days they were able to validate their samples quality. Expo Riva Schuh represents as always the first important test of the season and, from the opinions gathered, we seem to understand we passed it with flying colours. It was a record fair, with 854 exhibitors and a visitors influx definitely higher than we would have anticipated, given the not too rosy expectations inspired by the particular market situation, with an increase of 10% compared with June 2002. These few days turned out to be quite strategic in consolidating the collaborations already started in the past with the GDS, who held a press conference right here in Riva del Garda. On this occasion the German fair officials stressed the "twinning" between their fair and ours, hinting at further common strategies for the future. Quite positive also the meetings with ANCI (Associazione Nazionale Calzaturieri Italiani) officials, who made themselves widely available to develop, together with us, future strategy programmes".

Positive comments on the 60th event''s edition come from an important confirmation, that of visitors from Scandinavian countries, and the renewed presence of Germans and Americans, as well as Canadians, not to mention the traditional recognition received by Italians, Spaniards, French and - most of all - the many Eastern Europe operators, a sign of the great economic recovery they are experiencing at the moment.

Significant also the presences registered from the Middle East and the whole Far East.

Expo Riva Schuh remains in any case an important reference point for the fashion world. Here the sector operators find the trends that will dictate the season: the design, colours and materials destined to rule in footwear shops.

"At each new edition I discover that fashion proposals increase and also improve in quality" was the unanimous visitors comment, confirmed by the presentation of new collections.

"As we are going to file away this 60th edition of Expo Riva Schuh, in an atmosphere of great satisfaction and with a few signs of optimism on the recovery of the international footwear market - says Flavio Demozzi, general director of Palacongressi - our company''s organizing machine is already looking at the next edition to be held from 10 to 14 January 2004, which shall see us further committed to confirm the increasingly central role of the exhibition on the footwear industry international fair scene. We shall then devote ourselves to develop new initiatives and services to support the business activity of operators in the field, as we feel further strengthened by the definitive recognition received by the Provincial Government, who sanctioned the importance of Expo Riva Schuh as a winning moment in establishing the economic image of the whole Trentino territory".