“The pandemic has greatly accelerated the process of digitalisation that was already underway and that we have been working on for years – says Siro Badon, Chair of MICAM and Assocalzaturifici. Through the MICAM Milano Digital Show, we want to give the footwear sector our support in the digital transition process and help companies move towards a new way of doing business - one that is particularly useful at present, seeing as current travel restrictions make international sales campaigns impossible. Integration between e-commerce and physical stores is increasingly strategic, not just for our own sector but for the whole of ‘made-in-Italy’. Digital platforms have proved necessary for the disposal of stock, and we’ve also had to change the way we do training by activating webinars on specific subjects, since at the present moment our companies need technical expertise as well as a cultural evolution. First and foremost, within the company itself: getting to grips rapidly with these innovations is a vital strategic lever if we are to avoid being overwhelmed by the new market dynamics. We have achieved a universally-recognised level of excellence as regards our know-how and craftsmanship, and now we have to reach the same level as far as the technological aspect is concerned”.

MICAM Milano Digital Show platform enables companies and buyers to meet and communicate with each other: buyers can browse collections in a user-friendly environment, ask to be put in contact with brands, choose between line-sheets and product catalogues, customise and finalise orders directly on the platform. International footwear brands, for their part, have privileged access to MICAM Milano’s worldwide community through which they can acquire new contacts, invite clients directly to the platform and use the most advanced digital management tools to customise their products. An experience geared entirely towards facilitating business.

The trade fair will also offer events such as MICAMX, a laboratory dedicated to "innovation and cutting-edge ideas in the field of footwear. MICAMX will enhance and complete the virtual experience offered by MICAM Milano Digital Show for the entire period that the platform is operating".

Speakers and industry experts will explore and discuss the four main themes of MICAMX: the future of retail, sustainability, trends and materials, and art, fashion, heritage & future, in a packed line-up of over 60 seminars.

The next in-person edition of MICAM Milano is scheduled for September 2021 and should run from the 19^th to the 21^st of September.