The scheduling screw up for the February WSA show has caused a lot of concern and confusion in the athletic footwear industry. (For those of you just getting back into the country, the second day of the WSA Show is Super Bowl Sunday, one of the biggest days in the Las Vegas Calendar). When news leaked out at the August Show, vendors went scrambling to try to assess the impact and in some cases make alternate plans.
There has been a lot of speculation about whether vendors would attend and which retailers, if any, would be at the show. Early reports were that vendors and retailers might use other trade shows such as MAGIC or the hopefully revitalized Super Show as an alternative.
SEW surveyed the top athletic footwear companies and some of their best customers to try to get a sense of the climate for this years show, billed as “the biggest shoe show in the world”. Here are the results of that survey:
Reebok will not have a booth at the show. They will use hotel rooms to meet with major independents. They plan on working with most of their major accounts in Jacksonville, site of this years Super Bowl. They will have a smaller presence at Super Show and at MAGIC.
Lugz will not show at WSA either. They are even assessing whether they will attend the August event. They are planning a bigger presence at MAGIC and will count on seeing their best customers at their corporate offices or at regional satellites.
Puma will have the same booth space but with “less of a corporate entity” and fewer people in attendance. They are considering whether MAGIC over WSA might better “suit their needs in the long run”.
New Balances Jim Tompkins said, “At the moment, it is business as usual, with the exception of a near empty space starting at 3:30 on Sunday.” Saucony, Asics, and K-Swiss all said they will have about the same presence as they have in the past. Outdoor footwear manufacturers Timberland and Columbia both indicated they would have the same space and personnel as at previous shows.
Fashion athletic vendors are pretty much operating as usual, as well. Pony indicated that their “booth and staff size will be status quo.” Skechers said thy will be rather in “full force”. They also said they are already booking appointment for the “prime” times.
On the retail side, the results were mixed, and still somewhat fluid. One mall specialty retailer has decided not to attend, but has taken the time to explain to their vendors why they will not be at the show. This is a nice gesture considering the great expense the vendors go to be participate. One regional chain said they thought it was their “duty” to be at the show and support their vendors. Others have expressed that they will be at WSA as always. And finally some others are discussing attending the Super Bowl and then flying to Las Vegas on Monday to catch the end of the show.
Hotel rooms are at a premium for the weekend, so the late strategy will also be a cost saving one. A quick check of the WSA hotel site shows that several hotels are already unavailable. A comparison to last show’s rates indicates a steep increase in room prices. So far, airfare does not seem to be dramatically affected, but we can expect those rates to go up sharply as the event approaches. (And will probably cost a fortune for the retailers flying out of Jacksonville)
>>> All in all, this easily avoidable scheduling issue will cost the industry higher T&E expenses and will create aggravation for many. It may further weaken the athletic section of show that seems to have peaked a year ago…
