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Today,
there are over 3500 members in WSA and the list keeps growing. Membership
is no longer restricted to just West Coast shoe travelers, with more
than 75 percent coming from other locations. Over one third of the exhibitors
at the WSA show are foreign-based companies with nearly 3,000 retailers
attending from other countries.
WSA is
without question one of the strongest industry trade organizations offering
support for its members. For a nominal fee ($70 to join and $20 annual
renewal), members enjoy such benefits as: participation in two international
markets, insurance, financial assistance, group legal services and listings
of job opportunities. Because WSA is a not-for-profit organization,
the costs for exhibit space and related services are the lowest in the
industry. WSA also makes significant donations to a number of designated
charities.
The organization's
new website will offer information and services to its members and show
attendees including: registration forms, exhibit information, hotel
reservations, rental car registration, airline bookings, trend reports
and updated news reports.
With over
24,000 attendees, World Shoe is the largest footwear trade market in
the U.S. Buyers attending WSA at the Sands Expo Convention Center find
men's, women's, children's and athletic footwear as well as accessories,
handbags and foot care products. The Collections, an upscale WSA-sponsored
exhibition at the Desert Inn, features over 100 well-known footwear
designer brands including Giorgio Armani, Bruno Magli, Cynthia Rowley
and Richard Tyler. Upcoming World Shoe market dates are August 8-11,
2000 and February 23-26, 2001.