On the 4th of September the International Footwear Forum will be officially inaugurated at the grounds of theMICAM. The European Confederation of the Footwear Industry (CEC) launched the International Footwear Forum (IFF) at an informal breakfast during the 2014 World Footwear Congress in León, Guanajuato, México, a successful international event with more than 600 participants held in November last year.

The CEC considers that both international initiatives have their own aim and audience. The Congress is particularly opened to businesses, who can share best practices and learn about the latest developments from different categories of footwear stakeholders. The Forum, instead, is a meeting point for delegates from national footwear associations and federations from around the world. A place where they can discuss around a table about the latest challenges and opportunities that companies face in this global economy. The idea is to engage all participants, and generate a debate that comes up with knowledge and new initiatives for the benefit of footwear companies.

The CEC has revealed that the discussions on this first edition of the Forum will concentrate on three major topics.  An initial debate on how associations can better anticipate and respond to new company needs in a very fast changing world. Such debate will also allow delegates to learn about best practices, and identify common issues where a joint action represents a clear benefit for companies.

A more specific session will be dedicated to corporate social responsibility, and how to help small and medium enterprises in their challenge of doing business worldwide, while ensuring that the necessary social standards are respected.

And the last but not least subject will be the overwhelming digital world, an excellent opportunity requiring the reorganization of a company. Indeed, companies seek to go digital, but are still unclear about what this means and the best way to set up their IT organizations and develop the tools and talent required for reaching the cyber consumers. Associations can have a role to play.

The CEC is confident that this first edition will lay down the foundation of a structured and regular dialogue among associations’ representatives, promoting collaboration and helping them to face the rapid economic and societal changes affecting the footwear sector. The International Footwear Forum will soon become another worldwide recognized appointment not too be missed.