The 4th edition of BFSHOW, the biggest footwear tradeshow in Latin America, brought together 353 Brazilian brands from May 19 to 21 at the Anhembi District in São Paulo/SP. The event was marked by closed deals on-site. Exhibitors highlighted the effectiveness of the record visitation, with over 12,300 buyers attending, including 1,200 from 60 countries. The total transaction volume will be announced in the coming days. The tradeshow is organized by the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalçados) and managed by NürnbergMesse Brasil.

The Executive President of Abicalçados, Haroldo Ferreira, emphasized that the event demonstrated the strength of Brazil's footwear production, the fourth largest in the world and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. “Brazil is a major global showcase for footwear with design, innovation, and sustainability. BFSHOW, which featured companies responsible for more than 70% of national production, was a clear demonstration of this. Buyers, in addition to coming in large numbers, also closed deals,” Ferreira commented, adding that the “barometer” presented at the tradeshow offers optimism for the sector, which is expected to grow by more than 2% in 2025, reaching a production of over 940 million pairs of shoes.

The biggest tradeshow in Latin America
The CEO of NürnbergMesse Brasil, João Paulo Picolo, celebrated the fact that BFSHOW, now in its fourth edition, has already become the biggest tradeshow in the sector in Latin America. “With 30% more space, the tradeshow will continue to grow in the coming years,” he celebrated. “All the exhibitors we spoke with were very satisfied with the national and international visitation. The feeling is one of a job well done,” the CEO remarked, highlighting that 76% of the spaces for the November edition have already been sold. 

Exhibitors
Having participated in trade shows for over 20 years, the CEO of Polo Go (Nova Serrana/MG), Ricardo Campos, stated that the company’s sales target was achieved on the first day of the event. “I’ve been attending trade shows for many years, in all states, and this one was the best in terms of business,” he said. A brand of the Ride group, which grew nearly 400% in revenue during the first quarter, Polo Go is confident about increasing sales in 2025.

Mariana Thomasi, Head of Revenue at Linus, São Paulo/SP, highlighted the qualified visitation of national and international buyers invited to the event. “The contacts were very qualified, and this was reflected at the tradeshow. We are excited about our participation, and this is certainly the beginning of a great partnership that will help position Linus in the B2B market,” Mariana emphasized, praising the large number of importers visiting the event, particularly from Latin America.

Suzana Santos, from São João Batista/SC, was also pleased with her company’s participation in the event. “We had excellent results, with the collection being well-received by the market,” celebrated Suzana Santos, the company’s Creative and Commercial Director. According to her, the international visitation was significant. “BFSHOW is on par with any international tradeshow when it comes to attracting buyers. We opened new export markets in the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe,” she said.

Buyers
Lorena Bertu, Director of Loff Shoes, Belo Horizonte/MG, shared that she found new suppliers of premium footwear at the tradeshow. “The event presented an important variety of 'finds'—leather shoes from smaller, more exclusive brands. We left here with all the purchases for our second semester,” she said. 

Camille Torres Jara, Purchasing Manager at Nievecitas, Ecuador, attended BFSHOW for the third time. “From the beginning, we’ve worked with Brazilian footwear because it has unique design, technology, and is made with high quality. The event is excellently organized, with a mix of interesting products. We are progressively increasing the volume of Brazilian footwear purchases, and in this edition, we closed about 10% more deals than last May,” she stated. 

The next edition of BFSHOW
The next edition of BFSHOW will take place from November 10 to 12 at the Anhembi District in São Paulo/Brazil. The May 2026 edition will be held from May 18 to 20, at the same location.