Following the success of the Footwear Technology Forum in Portland, Autodesk Footwear will host its 2nd North American FTF at the District Hall, Boston, MA, on the 24th and 25th May 2016. The FTF is an educational event aimed at designers and manufacturers of footwear around the world who are keen to learn about ‘The Future of Making Things’.
Topics for discussion will include 3D printing, 3D prototyping, sustainability of materials, manufacturing, customisation and orthopaedics, and scanning technology. For the first time, the event will also include foot-health topics previously discussed at the Ortho Technology Forum.
The FTF brings together industry leaders and like-minded professionals from both the footwear and custom insole industries to talk about technology for future innovation. Presentations at the Portland event, attended by more than 120 people in May 2015 at the Pensole Footwear Design Academy, were delivered by industry professionals including Lucy Beard from Feetz, Luigi Ferracuti from Crocs and Philippe Ribera from Lectra.
Those wishing to attend the 2016 North American event in Boston can take advantage of an early bird rate available to all delegates who book before 12th April 2016. This will save $50 on the normal $299 entry price. Bookings can be made now at www.footwear-events.com/ftf/index.asp#register
Luigi Ferracutti, the Senior Director of 3D Development and Tooling at Crocs who has attended Forums in North America and Europe, said: “The FTF is a very interesting experience because there are so many topics related to footwear technology, meaning you can find out what is new in the market.”
As well as footwear designers and manufacturers, the popular forum also attracts footwear and foot-health professionals such as pattern/design engineers, product development or technical managers, company presidents, pedorthists or laboratory managers. Previous events have attracted a varied audience including representatives of high fashion brands Prada, Ferragamo and Gucci, as well as popular sportswear companies such as Nike, Reebok, Adidas and Decathlon.
Maryam Roufar, a shoe stylist for Shoes of Prey based in Sydney, Australia, attended the Portland event and said: “You get to talk to people and bounce ideas off each other, and it creates innovation within a conference even.”
The Footwear Technology Forum bridges the gap between the creative world of design and engineering technology, bringing the two together to allow the footwear industry to develop new ways of doing things. Highlights of the previous North American FTF, including an introduction by Pensole Academy founder and revolutionary footwear designer D’Wayne Johnson, can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=faLoVotBFxc
A dedicated website for the event has been set up and will be updated regularly as the speakers and the agenda are confirmed. This is now live at www.ft-forum.com
