The World Shoe Association captured 33,286 registered participants at its February 2005 event, which is a 30% increase over the February 2004 event.
The Strategy
The WSA is building the buying audience event to event through a number of aggressive marketing initiatives. “The outstanding showing at the WSA February 2005 Show was a direct result of the WSA's aggressive retail buyer outreach program and marketing campaign that garnered more than four million impressions worldwide,” reported Diane Stone, COO of the WSA.
New buyer attendance reached a record 7,126 at the show in February — more than twice the average of the last four events.
Buyer participation grew across all key categories including the core specialty footwear retailers, which accounted for 41% of WSA attendance. “The category with the most growth was the boutiques, which grew to 14% of attendance from 7% at the prior event,” reported Stone.
The WSA's investment in the retail buyer outreach program paid off — a program whereby key retailers and those who do not attend were personally invited by the retail relations team to the WSA Show. This outreach was complemented by a marketing program that included 43 advertisements in consumer and trade magazines from across the globe, direct mail to over 400,000 professionals and email marketing campaigns that included the birth of the WSA's footnotes email newsletter.
“Altogether, the WSA increased market outreach tenfold for the February 2005 Show. With the help of our media partners, we were able to multiply our advertising messages while also growing the number of direct mail and email contacts,” reported Catherine Upton, Chief Marketing Officer for the WSA.
The Buying Power
The net impact was positive. The WSA Show attracted decision-makers across the $47 billion footwear market. Presidents, vice presidents, and owners accounted for 47% of WSA attendance, with buyers closely following at 30%. Ninety-two percent of WSA attendees reported buying authority of footwear products and 69% of these attendees bought for more than one location, buying for 28 stores on average.
Valued at over $28 billion dollars, buyers found a full line of handbags and accessories at the show. Thirty-one percent of WSA buyers sought out handbags and another 25% shopped other accessories. “The WSA handbag buyer spends $1.55 million on average annually” concluded Stone.
