NEWPORT BEACH, CA (January 2003) -- Half a century ago, a group of traveling shoe salesmen gathered in Los Angeles to show their wares to buyers invited especially for this occasion. They called themselves the West Coast Shoe Travelers Associates. Today, this organization now called

World Shoe Association has grown to nearly 5,000 members who exhibit in more than one million square feet of exhibit space. This summer, WSA will celebrate its 55th Anniversary The forethought and innovative spirit of our founders still guides WSA's mission today. Each year, we look for ways to better serve our members and encourage, cultivate and create a spirit of cooperation within the industry. Friendly competition remains the motivator for our tradeshow events, and we continually rely on our volunteer board of directors to make recommendations on what we can do better, faster, and more efficiently. The WSA staff works diligently throughout the year to make sure the voice of our members and board is carried out with precision.

Working together with your input and suggestions, we are continuing to expand and grow. With the February show, WSA was one of the first grand opening events for the newly completed Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Because exhibitors and attendees gave high marks to this new venue, WSA will return to Mandalay Bay in August. Accolades were also bestowed on the party with Sheryl Crow at the Aladdin Performing Arts Center, as we do our best to bring top entertainment exclusively for WSA attendees. We are already looking forward to Jerry Seinfeld when he takes the stage on opening night, July 31.

Whether you are interested in an evening with friends at a party and concert, a day on the links, an educational seminar on maximizing employee potential, fitting and selling, enhancing customer service, or forecasting trends, our goal is to provide much more than a tradeshow, but an entertaining, educational, and productive event.

See you in August!