A “Meeting Point” At FFANY With Paola Hernandez – blog by Can Ya Heel Me?

The Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY) held one of four of its quarterly trade shows this past week, Nov. 30 through Dec. 2, to bring together shoe industry professionals for one huge event! Over 800 brands are members of FFANY, which hosts multiple shows, events and even footwear courses throughout the year. Held at the Hilton New York right in the middle of the Big Apple, the Nov/Dec trade show featured many of the Spring 2012 collections from both high end and lower end brands, including Dr. Scholls, Betsey Johnson, Jimmy Choo, Restricted, Matiko, Enigma, Naughty Monkey… oh, and did I mention Jeffrey Campbell!?! It also introduced me to brands I had never heard of before, including Heart Soul, Hadari, Rebacca, and FootzyRolls (which recently created a roll up boot that fits into your purse).

This was my very first time attending an FFANY trade show, and I was so excited. The Hilton gave seven floors to the FFANY for this event, which included two floors for booths to be set up exhibition style, and five floors of individual rooms for each brand to create a more intimate setting for their displays and meetings. When I first arrived at the Hilton on Friday, I was overwhelmed with choices. Where does a shoe loving girl begin? I decided to start with the exhibitions and make my way around to each booth. While visiting Hadari, my very first booth, I met two young buyers from the Philadelphia area who are opening up a shoe boutique for larger sized shoes. They were checking out the new brand for their store that will be opening next year, and they had decided to place an order. I was intrigued watching their process – trying on the shoes, asking about different colors, looking at their buying options. What shoes will my customer buy? What colors will they like? What is the market I’m trying to attract? These are things that you don’t think about when you walk into a shoe store or boutique, but buyers spend a great deal of time analyzing what shoes they will purchase to have in their store. That’s what these trade shows are all about – giving buyers the opportunity to explore all of their options, and giving manufacturers the opportunity to meet the store owners and buyers and convince them to purchase their product.

To read this article in its’ entirety, please visit http://canyaheelme.com/2011/12/05/a-meeting-point-at-ffany-with-paola-hernandez/