After a few difficult years for the sector, producers, suppliers, researchers, institutions, and associations are coming together in the upcoming UITIC Congress to discuss the challenges and opportunities for the footwear sector “in a context of digital transformation and growing attention to environmental and social sustainability”, says the National Association of Italian Manufacturers of Footwear, Leather Goods, and Tanning Technologies (ASSOMAC).

To this end, participants in the event will be able to take part in various conferences and thematic panels designed to address different aspects related to sustainability, innovation and digital transformation and, above all, how their interconnection can lead to sustainable development.

So, on the one hand, the Congress will highlight several innovative solutions that better respond to the growing needs of consumers, in terms of new design paradigms, materials or the creation of products with less environmental impact, and, on the other, how digital tools such as AI, automation or robotics can change the production paradigm.

In addition, the event will allow us to reflect on the impact of this digital revolution on the place of human beings in footwear companies themselves, concerning new skills required and forms of management and methods that may emerge.

21^st UITIC Congress

Scheduled to take place from the 20^th to the 22^nd of September 2023, in Milan and Vigevano (with an optional day of institutional visits to factories on the 19^th), the Congress is organized by the International Union of Shoe Industry Technicians (UITIC), with the support of the National Association of Italian Manufacturers of Footwear, Leather Goods, and Tanning Technologies (ASSOMAC) and the Messe Frankfurt Italia. Please refer to the event's website for more information about the programme.