“Anyone that has been an exhibitor at one of Hisham & Kari’s shows, knows that he is dedicated to making the exhibitors and attendees happy campers. I have represented companies that have exhibited at the NE, NW, and more recently, the SoCal show numerous times and Hisham has always been there every step of the way whenever we needed anything at the show, or needed any information about accommodations or any other local area attractions around the show areas. The booth spaces are inexpensive compared to other shows and the exposure is awesome for exhibitors. For shoe brands, there are plenty of top suppliers at the shows and there were 45 new exhibitors at the September 2015 show vs. the previous one in Portland. Hisham and Kari are like a giant magnet helping pull together the best brands and suppliers to these avenues. Looking forward to many more shows in the coming years.
Thanks Hisham and Kari for making it all happen!
Sincerely,
John Partee
Vice GM
LG Special Textiles Co., Ltd.”
Oct 6, 2015
Congrats to you both on your upcoming 20th! The show is not only the best footwear materials show in the industry, it’s the best industry get together I’ve seen. People love to go to the show as much to see our favorite suppliers and even more so, to see old friends, ex-colleagues, even if they now work for “the enemy” or the “evil empire” etc…. Knocking around in casual attire and tipping a beer at the 4:30 cocktail hour or getting together after hours never gets old. Since moving to Asia, I’ve missed being a part of your great tradition, no matter how many times some other show has tried to duplicate what you have created, they’ll never do it, because you both literally live it & that makes all the difference! Congratulations!
Bob Taylor
newtonrunning.com
First of all I would like to send my sincere thanks to Hisham and Kari for putting together such an amazing materials show for the past 20 years. I started attending in 2005 while developing Newton Running shoes and met with many suppliers and component makers from around the world. What a value to a start up brand to have this event! It would have cost me so much money, time and travel to even see and meet a few vendors let alone 100’s of vendors to choose from under one roof. Eight years later Newton Running shoes are carried by over 1000 stores worldwide. I continue to visit the show at least once a year to meet up with many of my Asia suppliers and to visit with so many great people I have met through the event over the years. Hisham and Kari always put on a great show and make everyone feel like family, that is why I think it has been such a long lasting event! Again, congratulations and see you soon!
– Danny Abshire
Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer, newtonrunning.com
Congratulations on 20 years!!! That’s a long time. Really appreciate that you brought the show to the east coast for us. It’s really been a great help for us – and the other New England area companies. Must also say that the show gets better every time I go!!! Look forward to the article in FN!
– Jay Cheney
Director, Advanced Concepts
Cosmo has been part of the NW Show from its inception. We have found it to be an invaluable tool in helping reach our customer with new innovative product.
– Josh VanDernoot
Cosmo/Starensier, Inc.
Congratulations on your great success! You’re a great example of resourcefulness and diligence.
Did you start the show back when it was at the Marriot down town? I had a small business from 1992-1999 and we used to slip into the last day of that show. We realized it was intended for the big dogs in town and wanted to be respectful of that, but still wanted the opportunity to come and see everything. Then in 2000 I went back to Nike and eventually found my way to footwear materials. By then the show was at the convention center, and had grown quite a lot! Then you put the NE Show together, what a feat!
Thanks for all your hard work to make great places for us to congregate.
– Rose Boruck
youngil.com
Congratulations on reaching 20 years of producing the Materials Show! It’s hard to believe that we have all been congregating here for that long. I love attending the Show and feel grateful that you have provided this service to us here in Portland, and worldwide. As a freelance designer, one of the best ways to see what the shoe world is up to is to have the vendors come to one place. I seem to always be the last to leave the show because not only do I have a chance to view and sample materials from the world over, I also have the opportunity to learn what my cohorts in the business have been doing. I always walk away inspired and enlightened.
– Janelle Dahlsten
studioakimbo.com