TRADE SHOW NEWS

ENCINO, Calif. (September 28, 2007)—Professionals planning to attend the debut of the Materials at WSA Expo & Conference in Las Vegas Feb. 19–21 now have one more reason to sign up. Held at the Sands Expo, the event will include a handful of seminars targeted toward footwear, handbag and accessories design, development and sourcing specialists. One such workshop entitled “Innovation in Footwear Materials” will cover the spectrum of footwear materials advances available today as well as those being developed for the future.

“Not only will the Materials at WSA Expo bring the most innovative suppliers to the footwear, handbag and accessory industry, it will unify and elevate materials knowledge becoming the intellectual center of material sourcing in the U.S.,” said show director Courtney Harold.

The hour-long presentation will be led by Paolo Merenghi, professor of footwear and leather goods at Ars Sutoria School in Italy. He will focus on such topics as what innovative materials are, the future of footwear materials modernization and the cost of innovation and what it offers.

“With so much footwear production being outsourced, it is important for the design, development and sourcing teams to be armed with as much knowledge as possible about innovative materials,” said Matteo Pasca, managing director of the Ars Arpel Group. “Only then will they be able to make informed decisions about production and directly affect the value of their product.”

In addition to the education attendees will gain from the seminar, they will receive an advanced materials directory that concentrates on products and services with particular attention to those exhibited at the show.

The inaugural event also plans to offer workshops covering green materials, how to do business in China and best practices for development and sourcing.

The Materials at WSA Expo & Conference will focus on the innovation in the development of new materials (including leathers, synthetics and textiles) as well as components, technology and sourcing solutions for the footwear and accessories sector.

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