The last GDS offered visitors a comprehensive range of information with 600 brands present with their collections. The trade show held in Düsseldorf had showed all the trends of relevance to the 2017/18 Autumn/Winter season.

This was the last edition of the GDS trade fair taking place at the premises of Messe Düsseldorf. From now on the Igedo Company will take responsibility for the new shoe trade show at Areal Böhler as Gallery SHOES.

During the evening event held on the first day of the fair, and speaking before many representatives of the shoe sector, Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, President & CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, praised the efforts by the GDS team: “Kirstin Deutelmoser and her team have undertaken extraordinary efforts over the years and introduced innovations into the shoe shows time and again … the last event was designed with full professionalism and provided visitors with a comprehensive overview of the market. My thanks also go to the sector: GDS only managed to remain such an outstanding meeting point for decades on end thanks to the support from trade and industry. I wish the Igedo Company the best of success for its new concept”.

During the press conference on the first day of the trade show Kirstin Deutelmoser, Director of GDS and tag it!, referred to GDS’ longstanding tradition on the one hand, and the fundamental changes occurring in the footwear sector, on the other: “Around the turn of the millennium GDS registered most visitors. People came to Düsseldorf to discover the new collections and – just as importantly – to network. But over the past few years the world started turning faster. New players entered the market. The retailscape experienced constant change. And since trade shows are also always mirror images of the market this extreme dynamism within the footwear sector also impacted GDS”.

In face of the recent evolution a complete re-boot was decided, with a change of location, organisation team, dates and name. Going forward the Igedo Company will enable a complete re-start in a new venue Areal Böhler, with later dates (27th-29th August) with an adjusted order of days (Sunday to Tuesday) and a focus on the most significant exhibitors in the European footwear industry.