The Atlanta Shoe Market (TASM) is headed into another sold-out edition on Aug. 15-17, with 1,100 registered exhibitors for the twice-annual trade show, representing 1,800 brands. Retailer registrations also continue to grow, up roughly 5 percent at press time, according to Laura Conwell O’Brien, executive director of TASM.
She noted that her waitlist for exhibitors has ballooned to more than 60 brands, led chiefly by requests from international vendors that see TASM as a key point of entry for the U.S. market. Indeed, the three-day show has become a must-attend event for the shoe industry, serving as a vital hub for footwear brands and retailers to secure orders for the current and upcoming seasons.
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But to O’Brien, the trade show has also come to represent something even more significant. “I feel like I’ve built a community,” she said. “Yes, it’s a big trade show, but people do feel that when they walk in the door, it’s like they’re coming home; they’re coming to a reunion of people they enjoy being with.”
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TASM’s venue, newly rebranded as the Cobb Convention Center, continues to undergo its $190 million expansion and renovation project. Changes made to the show in February will remain in effect this month, including situating the registration desks in the rotunda at the center’s main entrance and hosting the daily luncheon inside the adjacent Renaissance Waverly Hotel.
And major vendors, including Birkenstock, Sam Edelman, Crocs, Fisher Footwear, Steve Madden and Aldo, will remain in meeting rooms on the first and second floors of the hotel.
O’Brien also has made cosmetic changes to update the aesthetic, but she described those as subtle tweaks rather than sweeping changes. “Part of what makes this show work is the continuity of it,” she explained. “People know what to expect when they get there. They like that.”
Despite bulldozers and cranes creating havoc outside the building in February, operations inside ran smoothly, according to retail attendees. “We barely even noticed having longer walks or difficulty finding anything. I commend the show organizers for a job very well done,” said Brenda Felger, owner of Felger’s Footwear in Louisiana.
Cobb Convention Center aims to complete all construction by early 2027, though O’Brien, taking a realistic approach, expects to maintain the show’s current format until next August.
Following renovations, the convention center will gain a new junior ballroom, plus 11 meeting rooms and an executive boardroom totaling 24,000 square feet.
With that expansion, O’Brien said she is considering adding more educational opportunities, in addition to current programming with the National Shoe Retailers Association (NSRA) and Two Ten’s Women in the Footwear Industry (WIFI) community. On Sunday, Aug. 16, NSRA will host a breakfast seminar at 7:45 a.m. about “Using AI to Buy Better,” and later that evening is WIFI’s cocktail hour, starting at 5:30 p.m.
In terms of other events during the show, TASM’s popular cocktail and casino party will take place Saturday, Aug. 15, from 6–9:30 p.m.
Heading into the show, retailers were feeling upbeat about the buying season. Loren Martin, president and owner of E.L.M. Shoes in Pennsylvania, said, “[After] working the lines that I have so far, things have looked good, so I’m optimistic for Atlanta and what we’ll see there.”
He added that the Atlanta show is a productive experience for his team. “We always look forward to attending. For us, it’s a great show. It’s a very easy show to work. We’re usually there all three days,” said Martin.
Felger said her team will be on the hunt for newness, both from her existing core brands and whatever is going to be the next hot item. “You have to really walk around the market floor to check out which booths are busiest and find out why,” she said
Rick Ravel, president of Karavel and Karavel Run in Texas, said a bright spot for his business this spring was outdoor products such as trail shoes and sandals. “We are up almost 19 percent [in those categories],” he said. “It may be because we carry widths when they are available.” He also pointed out that brands have been in a better inventory situation this year.
And while Ravel has seen some stabilization of wholesale prices, new proposed tariffs from the White House could bring more uncertainty to the pricing landscape for 2027.
