FFANY And Informa Announce Collaboration To Support Footwear Industry Growth

NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY), the non-profit organization that leads FFANY Market Weeks in New York and its NY Shoe Expo Tradeshows, and Informa PLC, organizer of FN PLATFORM, MAGIC, Coterie and PROJECT, announced a joint collaboration to promote the development and growth of the footwear industry in the United States.

Recognizing the two groups faced a date overlap during the upcoming February 2019 shows and understanding the need for a consistent market calendar based on industry demand, FFANY and Informa have embraced it as an opportunity to address the emerging needs of the footwear industry.

The FFANY/INFORMA collaboration will include developing research and recommendations for footwear brands and retailers on the optimal omni-channel paths to market, in addition to providing complementary and coordinated trade show calendars for platforms in New York and Las Vegas.  The result will be greater opportunities to allow brands and retailers connect, do business, network, and understand industry trends.

"We look forward to collaborating with Informa to collectively serve the footwear industry," said Ron Fromm, President & CEO of FFANY. "Informa's policy of transparency in scheduling and our mutual commitment to serve the needs of footwear brands and retailers with a thoughtful calendar is a development that will benefit all."

As part of this effort, FFANY and Informa will coordinate their respective trade show calendars to ensure that the timing of footwear trade shows matches the needs of brands and retailers, and that industry players can participate both in FFANY events and in Informa events without logistical barriers.   For the February 2019 shows, FFANY and Informa will work with affected brands and retailers to develop personalized recommendations and programs that will enable brands and retailers to participate in both events, in order to maximize their sales and marketing efforts during the crucial first quarter of the year. 

"We are appreciative to be working alongside FFANY on this forward-thinking planning initiative and collaboration," Mark Temple-Smith, Commercial Director, Global Exhibitions, of Informa adds. "We support FFANY's service to the industry in charity and education and look forward to working on our joint commitment to ensure all footwear brands and retailers have the necessary opportunities to succeed."

FFANY and Informa are collaborating on the creation of a footwear industry roundtable that will address the future needs of the industry.  A date and location for the industry roundtable will be announced separately.

About the Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY)
FFANY is a non-profit professional association serving the vibrant, global footwear industry, creating programs and services to support doing business in New York, making it profitable and easy for its membership.  FFANY delivers best in class experiences during FFANY Market Weeks and FFANY NY Shoe Expo Tradeshows in New York City.  The calendar of shows in the first full weeks of February, June, August and December serves the scheduling needs of retailers, brands, designers, buyers and sellers.

FFANY strengthens the industry through education and unites it in charity.  FFANY's educational partnership with Arsutoria School brings technical shoemaking programs to NYC and provides scholarship opportunities to nurture the talent of tomorrow.  FFANY's signature fundraising event, "FFANY Shoes on Sale", has distributed over $55 million for first-step breast cancer research since its inception in 1994 and is the largest fundraising effort of the industry.  In 2019, as FFANY is Forward@40, continuing its mission of service to the industry and creating bold initiatives to address its evolving needs.

About Informa PLC
Informa PLC is a leading, international business to business information services Group, operating in over 30 countries. We create transaction-led exhibitions and content-based events, specialist data, intelligence and marketing services products, as well as scholarly research and specialist reference-led academic content. Our products and services help businesses and professionals connect, learn, do business and gain an edge over the competition. Informa is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 100. On 15 June 2018, Informa completed the acquisition of UBM plc to become the leading global B2B exhibitions group.   www.informa.com

SOURCE Fashion Footwear Association of New York