August/September 2010

INDUSTRY

NEWSLETTER

2010

SGN Newsletter

SPONSORS

Wholesale Fashion Jewelry by Cool Jewels

ARCHIVES

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

Dallas Market Center

Dallas Market Center recently announced that the Dallas Total Home & Gif t Market®, taking place June 24-30, 2009, will of fer smart business oppor tunities for buyers including thousands of new products across dozens of categories, more than 100 special events including educational seminars, and the most cost-efficient market destination in the country with the lowest hotel rates in five years. The center’s continued mission is to best prepare ret ailers for the upcoming selling season.

“In order to stay ahead of the competition, buyers must prepare for the upcoming selling season during June Market,” said Bill Winsor, president and CEO, dallas Market Center. “Our loyal customers are seeking safer returns on investment, and the dall as m arketpla ce remains the best value for customers – more products across more categories in an easy-to-shop environment and the best travel value.”

Denver Merchandise Mart

The denver Merchandise Mart Gift, Home, Jewelry & resort Show is one of the premier regional shows in the country. The recent February Show attracted buyers from 46 states with the majority of attendance from the Rocky Mountain and Western regions of the United States. The show features over 500 permanent a nd temporary exhibitors representing over 5,000 lines. In addition to the wide variety of offerings in gift, home, jewelry and resort categories, it also highlights one of the largest selections of Native American, rustic, lodge-style and Western products in the country. The next show is August 13-18, 2009; and will combine with the denver Apparel & Accessory Market, August 14-17.

DMG World Media

“Our exhibitors made the decision to invest in Surf Expo – or are considering it – and we want to invest in them,” explained roy Turner, show director. “To help ensure the success of our January 2009 show, we doubled our budget for travel assistance to help more retailers come to the show. We plan to do that again for the August show. This provides a direct benefit for retailers and the exhibitors.”

“We believe exhibitor training will have similar results,” continued Turner. “Through this program, exhibitors should be able to reduce expenses while improving their boothmanship skills, which will create a better trade-show experience for our buyers.”

Offered nearly four months before the August show, manufacturers will learn tips and techniques to increase their brand’s performance at Surf Expo, as well as ways to reduce show costs.

Nationally known speaker, Candace Adams, will lead the training. Because Surf Expo’s exhibitor base is divided between the East Coast and West Coast, training is being offered in both Florida and California.

dmg world media announced recently that Roy Turner will head the Surf Expo team following the resignation of senior vice president Lori Kisner. Prior to joining Surf Expo in 2007 and becoming Surf Expo show director in January 2008, Turner was founder and president of the Board retailers Association (BrA) and had his own boardshop for more than 25 years. He was named as one of the industry’s most influential people by Transworld Business magazine.

“In the past 30 years, as a retailer and then a member of the BRA, I guess I’ve been to 45 Surf Expos,” said Turner. “Over those years, I watched – and benefited – as Surf Expo grew to be the boardsports and beach lifestyle industries’ number one show. It’s a little daunting to come in behind Lori,” he added, “but I am excited to be a part of the team as we continue to find ways to build a better show.”

George Little Management LLC

“We want to give NYIGF exhibitors every opportunity for a successful market,” said dorothy Belshaw, NYIGF director and GLM senior vice president. “These sessions will help our customers to maximize their interaction with buyers – before, during and after the show – and to increase the return on their tradeshow investments.”

As an added benefit, Right Angle Strategies will offer free 15-minute consultations, available on a first-comefirst- serve appointment basis, to NYIGF exhibitors.

“Quality over quantity” characterized the optimistic and healthy buying activity during the winter edition of the New York International Gift Fair® (NYIGF®), which took place January 25-29. Some 2,900 exhibiting companies reported business-as-usual purchases from major buyers, cautious orders and reorders from specialty stores and a surprising number of new customers among the 32,000 buyers who traveled from near and far to attend the fair’s 156th semi-annual edition.

Buying activity at NYIGF was reflective of current economic conditions, with order writing and inventory restocking reflecting current consumer purchasing behavior. Buyers showed renewed interest in the “staples” products with lower price points and handcrafted products with special appeal. Many retailers relied solely on NYIGF, which was the last major market of the winter 2009 buying season, to meet restocking needs for depleted inventory, or to reinvigorate existing merchandise offerings.

The summer 2009 edition of the New York International Gift Fair will run Saturday, August 15, through Thursday, August 20, 2009, at the Javits Center and Passenger Ship Terminal Piers 92 and 94.

Helen Brett

“Small businesses have always been the backbone of the American economy, and the Memphis Fair in April attracts thousands of small business owners who are learning how to keep their business afloat in today’s volatile economy,” said Robert Kolinek, president of Helen Brett Enterprises, the promoter and producer of the Mid-South Fair.

Show exhibitors were expected to offer retail buyers an opportunity to see and purchase with “cash and carry” and at wholesale prices the latest fashion items in jewelry and other gift industries.

Founded in 1946, Helen Brett’s mission was to produce and promote market driven trade shows and conferences throughout the United States. The company hosts four jewelry and gift shows each year at the Memphis Cook Convention Center. The shows are held in February, April, August and November.

M & M Gift Shows

IGES & SSS in Sevierville:
Your One-Stop Shopping Destination

With only 272 booths and barely more than 3,000 buyers, the show was small but successful from the start. Now, with up to 1,300 booths available in 2009, IGES is a force to be reckoned with! The rapidly growing souvenir and resort gift portion of the expo has now been given its own separate identity: the Souvenir Super Show. This portion of the show highlights the increasingly popular souvenir product lines, while IGES continues to highlight both the resort and gift lines for which the show has become known. This means two great shows – for the price and convenience of one!

As one of the country’s premier resort, gift, and souvenir shows, the staff at IGES would like to thank all of the exhibitors and buyers who have supported and believed in the event through the years. We are proud to have the most loyal exhibitors and generous buyers of any show in the nation, and show management certainly looks forward to thanking everyone properly at its 10-year anniversary show November 6-10, 2009.

Urban Expositions

Florida retailers will also have unrivaled shopping summer opportunities. Central, northern and panhandle retailers will be able to shop the Orlando Gift Show, July 25-28, 2009 at the Orange County Convention Center. Featuring more than 500 booths, this show offers onestop shopping for everything from holiday to resort merchandise. In addition, the show also features the Orlando Cash & Carry Show.

South Florida and Island retailers can expect to find a wide range of resources at the new Fort Lauderdale Gift Show, August 29-September 1, 2009 at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center. The show’s tremendous selection of gift, souvenir, and resort merchandise offers the ideal opportunity to prepare for the crucial fourth quarter and beyond.

Heading into its fourth year, the Las Vegas Souvenir & Resort Gift Show returns to the Las Vegas Convention Center, Hall N3, September 23-25, 2009 with an expanded product selection. As the only event of its kind in the Western region devoted exclusively to themed merchandise, resort apparel, gifts and souvenirs, the show will again run concurrently with the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) International Expo.

The Boston Gift Show has announced four winners for the fourth annual Pride of New England Awards, a coveted honor that recognizes New England retailers for outstanding customer service, creative merchandising, community involvement and demonstration of New England pride. The four winners were announced during a reception on Saturday, March 28, 2009, at the Boston Gift Show, which ran March 28-31, 2009 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

The 2009 winners were: Blackstone’s of Beacon Hill, Boston, Mass.; The Lyme Tree Woman’s Exchange, Old Lyme, Conn.; Mason & Madison, Middleton, Mass.; and Pauline’s Gifts, Gloucester, Mass.

The 162nd edition of the Boston Gift Show is scheduled for March 21-24, 2010 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.