The 26th edition of the Latin American Footwear Forum, which was held annually in a different country of the South American continent, took place on the 20th of May in São Paulo, Brazil.

As usual, the Latin American Footwear Forum aimed to promote integration between the different footwear entities in Latin America, increasing knowledge and links between entrepreneurs, footwear professionals and store owners. "The forum has the role of strengthening Latin America as a bloc through footwear," said Haroldo Ferreira, Executive President of Abicalçados, one of the organisers.

Organised by the Association of Footwear Chambers of Latin America (ACCAL) and the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalçados), this year's event welcomed 200 participants and featured a series of presentations covering a wide range of topics of importance to the industry, including common challenges, ways to promote international trade, innovations and key trends, among others. At the end of the day, a networking cocktail took place.

"The debate about the challenges in each country, as well as the generation of knowledge through success stories, is fundamental to unite the sector in this region," Ferreira concluded.