The 29th International Shoe Industry Conference held in Vietnam

On September 19th, September 9th, 2010, the 29th International Footwear Conference (IFC) was held at the New World Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Li Yuzhong, deputy director of the China Leather Association, and Wei Yafei, director of the shoe-making office attended the meeting and exchanged ideas with shoe organizations in various countries.

This year's IFC Conference was hosted by LEFASO and chaired by Eddy Widjanarko, Chairman of the Footwear Association of Indonesia. It was from China, Hong Kong, China Taiwan, Guangdong, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, India, Malaysia, IFC member countries such as Vietnam participated, and invited the German Footwear Federation to implement Mr. Manfred Junkert and Mr. Peter T. Mangione, executive of GFP company in the United States, as keynote speakers. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association (LEFASO). More than 30 representatives of the Vietnamese industry also attended the meeting. More than 40 entrepreneurs from the Guangdong Province of China attended the opening ceremony.

Mr. Ngugen DucThuan of the Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association ** first delivered a welcome speech to the conference and proposed that this session of the conference will exchange the experiences of the member countries on three topics. 1 What is the role of IFC in the development of footwear in Asia and the world? 2 is Asia is the largest supplier of footwear products, IFC should be how to guide it to become the largest consumer market? 3 How to enhance the level of footwear design in IFC member countries.

The Vietnamese Parliament’s Industry and Commerce Conference** attended the meeting and welcomed the presence of representatives from various countries. He said that the Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association is a very active industry organization that has contributed greatly to the development of the Vietnamese economy. Its footwear products have become Vietnam’s third largest export product. Vietnam currently has a great advantage in the cost of the footwear industry. The investment is convenient and there are certain preferential policies to support it. It is hoped that the participating member states will have the confidence to invest in Vietnam.

The member organizations have submitted reports on the footwear industry in various countries to the General Assembly, made wonderful speeches and exchanged extensive industry information. Li Yuzhong, Vice Chairman of the China Leather Association, gave a speech on behalf of China and gave an overview of the macroeconomic situation in China and the opportunities and challenges faced by the Chinese footwear industry. Through this meeting, representatives from various countries have deepened their understanding of the macroeconomic situation of each other's country and the situation of the footwear industry, and agreed on common development to promote industrial harmony and progress.

At the same time, the 29th World Footwear Congress passed the third “International Shoe Design Competition” and has promoted the improvement of footwear design standards in various countries. The competition process has been conducted in accordance with the competition rules drafted by the Hong Kong Footwear Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to participating in the IFC meeting, participating member states and business representatives also visited the 12th Footwear Leather Fair to examine the footwear industry in Ho Chi Minh City.

The successful holding of the current IFC conference once again provided opportunities for the industry in various countries to learn and communicate. In particular, the keynote speech by Mr. Peter T. Mangione of the GFP company in the United States is very useful for countries to understand the US market. The Hong Kong Footwear Chamber of Commerce made a detailed analysis of the factors affecting the cost of the footwear industry in mainland China and compared labor cost requirements in different provinces. , made recommendations for the development of the future footwear industry in mainland China. The expenses incurred by the Taiwan Shoe Industry Association, the footwear industry has developed in Taiwan for 20 years, and it has been transferred to the mainland for another 20 years. Now they are starting to shift to the middle of China, and there will be 20 years of development opportunities, plus the Chinese mainland. Political stability, good investment environment, although there are pressures of rising labor costs, but these are digestible, they are very optimistic about the sustainable development of China's footwear industry.

The 30th IFC Conference will be held on April 16, 2011 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hosted by the Malaysian Footwear Manufacturers Association. The 2011 Malaysia International Footwear Festival will also be held.