Promoted in this edition by the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalçados), the 26th edition of the Foro Latinoamericano Del Calzado will highlight the production and retail of footwear in Latin America. Second largest footwear producing region in the world, totaling more than 1.5 billion pairs produced per year, Latin America, in addition to being a producer center, is an important center of footwear consumption. The theme will be the central agenda of lectures that will be held at the event, on May 20th, in São Paulo/SP.

Among the highlights of the lecture schedule are the cases of some of the largest retail chains in Brazil, Colombia and Peru. Together, the groups have more than 280 stores in their respective countries. The Oscar Group, for example, which has 180 stores throughout Brazil, will be presented by its purchasing and commercial director, Naiche Van der Poel. Graduated in Economics and with a Masters in retail, the executive will talk about his trajectory and also about the history and strategy of the retail group.

One of the largest Colombian retail groups, Grupo Mario Hernandez, which has more than 60 stores in the country, will also be presented with a lecture by its director Lorenzo Hernández, son of the company's founder, Mario Hernandez. In the opportunity, the executive will talk about the history of the traditional retail group, the opportunities for the sector in Colombia, business environment in the neighboring country, among other topics.

The third retail case presented at the Foro is from the Julia y Tornero group, which has 46 stores in Chile. In the opportunity, the company's general manager, Jorge Tornero, will talk about the group's case and growth opportunities in a relevant market for footwear in Latin America.

In addition to the international retail cases, lectures such as “Opportunities for footwear in Latin America”, “Strong brands and the future of retail”, behavior and fashion research from Inspiramai”s and “Now & Then - the reality and the main trends of the 2024/25 season”, as well as panels and debates of leaders of the footwear chambers of Latin America are part of the scheduling (see below).

Event
Initiative of the Agrupación de Cámaras de Calzado de América Latina (ACCAL), the Foro, each year, has a country from the region as host. The group has, among its members, representatives of footwear associations and chambers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The executive president of Abicalçados, Haroldo Ferreira, points out that the event's objective is to promote integration between footwear entities in Latin America, providing the exchange of knowledge through lectures with experts and sharing practical cases of the industry and retail from each country. "Latin America, as a bloc, is the second largest producer of footwear in the world, second only to Asia. It is the mission of the representative entities of the countries to discuss ways to increase the continent's competitiveness in the face of the threat of competition, sometimes unfair, from Asian countries”, highlights the leader.

Limited tickets
The Foro is an event with limited spots and is targeted at entrepreneurs, industry professionals and shoe retailers, guests, sponsors, government authorities and the press. Tickets are available in a reduced lot at an investment of R$ 350, and Abicalçados members and invited merchants will have a 50% discount through a promotional code. 

The event has Gold sponsorship by Kisafix and Nofake, and Silver sponsorship by Banco do Brasil. The official partnership is with NürnbergMesse Brasil, the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC) and the Federal Government.

Schedule

08AM
Reception and accreditation

08:30 AM
Opening

09AM
Opportunities for footwear in Latin America
Priscila Linck-Abicalçados (Brazil)

10AM
Panel 1 - Common industry challenges
Argentina / Ecuador / Nicaragua / Guatemala

10:45 AM
Panel 2 - Local and International Trade Promotion
Brazil / Peru / El Salvador

11:30 AM
Panel 3 - Industry innovations
Mexico / Colombia / Uruguay

12:15 PM 
Lunch break

2PM
Strong brands and the future of retail
Lucas Feltes - WT.AG (Brazil)

3PM
Case Brazil 
Meet the Oscar group - Naiche Van der Poel

3:30 PM
Case Colombia
Meet the Mario Hernandez group - Lorenzo Hernandez

4PM
Case Chile 
Meet the Julia Y Tornero group - Jorge Tornero

4:30 PM
Panel 4 - International Shoe fairs
BFSHOW (Brazil) - IFLS+EICI (Colombia) - Expo Riva Schuh (Italy)

5:15 PM
Intergenerational 2025_I: Inspiramais' behavior and fashion Research
Marnei Carminatti - INSPIRAMAIS (Brazil)

5:45 PM
Now & Then - The reality and main trends of the 2024/25 season
Luana Lanzini & Luana Savadintsky - Fashion Directions (Brazil)

6:15 PM
Happy Hour / Drinks

Service

26th Foro Latinoamericano de Calzado

Date: May 20th, 2024

Venue: Auditorio Torre Aroeira, São Paulo / SP

Hours: 08AM to 6:15PM