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AmericasMart
AmericasMart Atlanta and the Gift & Home Trade Association (GHTA) have created and will produce a gift and home industry honors program unprecedented in scope, global in scale and destined to be the annual defining event celebrating extraordinary manufacturing, sales and retail achievement.
ICON Honors: Celebrating Global Innovation is set for a July 2010 premiere at AmericasMart's Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market and Atlanta International Area Rug Market.
ICON Honors becomes the first international program fully embracing the gift and home categories in an independent recognition of exemplary achievement across the industry triumvirate: product manufacturing, product sales representative businesses and retailing.
"The creation of ICON Honors forever changes the home and gift industry's definition of superior achievement in a business born of innovation and rich in entrepreneurial vision and energy," noted Jeffrey L. Portman, Sr., AmericasMart president and chief operating officer.
"ICON Honors marks a new era in how we recognize and reward those whose passion and performance set the glide path to a future bright with promise. It affirms our continuing stewardship of the industries we serve and the work of those whom we most admire," Portman said.
Created in an exclusive AmericasMart/GHTA alliance-in advancement of their common vision for gift and home industry elevation, enhancement and excellence-ICON Honors rightly takes its place in the marketplace widely acknowledged as capital of the gift/home/area rug business. The annual ICON Honors will celebrate, across all home and gift categories and business lines, Innovation, Contribution and Achievement in the manufacturer, sales representative and retailer sectors.
The initiative fully aligns with GHTA's evolving mission and vision, noted Doug Cofiell, GHTA president and president of the Ivystone Group. "GHTA has from its inception embraced gift and home as complementary entities with unmatched crossover potential. We champion that convergence and believe ICON Honors to be the one defining event designed to applaud landmark achievement on a global basis," Cofiell said.
ICON Honors "arrives at a time of unimagined promise and potential for the gift and home industry," noted George Kacic, GHTA chairman and vice president of Ganz USA. "This program will celebrate the innovation and ingenuity that are hallmarks of our business. More importantly, ICON Honors fulfills the vision of bringing manufacturers, sales organizations and retailers together in common purpose and with rich rewards to be shared," Kacic added.
CON Honors nominations will follow an open process with independent judging and evaluation sustaining full objectivity in selection of honorees. The ICON Honors will celebrate:
In Innovation:
- Technology applications to market share.
- Product design.
- Packaging design.
- Sustainability.
- Branding.
In Contribution:
- Independent retail community trailblazer impact/influence.
- Cause-product impact/influence.
- Industry-building impact/influence.
- Community betterment/improvement achievements.
In Achievement:
- Top Newcomer recognition.
- Individual professional accomplishment.
- Collective business accomplishment.
- Life accomplishment.
The introduction of ICON Honors sets in motion a sequence of forthcoming developments and announcements revealing key commitments driving the program, including selection and seating of judges; nomination procedures and processes; call for entries; and a significant expansion of the program to include national and international sponsors from the design and media communities.
George Little Management
The Licensing Gallery @ NYIGF®, a new business-to-business resource connecting surface designers, artists and licensing agents with gift and home manufacturers, will debut at the winter 2010 edition of the New York International Gift Fair® (NYIGF®) Jan. 31-Feb. 4, 2010.
The Licensing Gallery is expected to draw attendance from NYIGF exhibitors who are also looking for new designs early in the year. "This is a unique first quarter opportunity for artists and licensing agents to meet gift and home manufacturers at a market distinguished by the style and sophistication of its product offerings," said Penny Sikalis, SURTEX® show manager and GLM® vice president.
In its debut, The Licensing Gallery will position artists and their agents alongside home fashion, personal care and fashion accessory manufacturers. Up to 30 booths will be located on the NYIGF exhibit floor, which is adjacent to At Home featuring Home Textiles, EX-TRACTS® and Personal Accessories featuring Details on Level One of New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
For the winter 2010 launch, participation in The Licensing Gallery will be offered exclusively to exhibitors of the May 2010 SURTEX, an annual tradeshow in New York City, produced by George Little Management for the sale and license of art and design. Exhibitors will have a 10-foot-by-10-foot hard wall booth for four full show days, Sunday, January 31 through Wednesday, February 3. In addition they will be listed in NYIGF's online and printed directories and in other pre-show marketing materials.
NYIGF is the nation's premier gift, home and lifestyle marketplace with 2,800 exhibiting companies featuring an extraordinary breadth and depth of design-driven home products and giftware. It is estimated that 31,000 attendees from all 50 states and more than 85 countries worldwide are expected.
For more information and to register for The Licensing Gallery booths, please contact Penny Sikalis, SURTEX show manager, or John Kelly, SURTEX sales manager.
Both NYIGF and SURTEX are owned and managed by GLM, a dmg world media business.
High traffic volume and palpable energy filled the aisles at the summer 2009 edition of EX·TRACTS® - one of eight divisions of the New York International Gift Fair® (NYIGF®) - with a sizeable increase in retailers from around the world attending the semi-annual market for personal care and wellness.
"Exhibitors were very pleased with buyer traffic, as well as the amount of order-writing at the show," said Melissa Engongoro, EX·TRACTS sales manager. "There was renewed optimism at the summer market, and the momentum kept up all week for both exhibitors and attendees alike."
EX·TRACTS grew to feature nearly 100 exhibitors last summer, with leading beauty and wellness suppliers Warren-Tricomi Haircare making its market debut, and Diana B and DayNa Decker moving into the division from other NYIGF locations. EX·TRACTS presents a wide range of cosmetics, perfumes, skincare, bath and body care, beauty accessories, hair care, natural/organic products, well-being lines, and home products such as aromatherapy, candles and home spa items.
In addition to overall gains in local, regional and national attendance, NYIGF recorded significant growth from the southeast, southwest, and west coast of the United States, topped by a 90 percent increase in buyers from Florida. International attendance also increased, led by an 88 percent increase from Canada. "We've seen great international buyers, with an especially high concentration of Canadian retailers," said exhibitor Joe Marks of Baudelaire. "The reorder business has been phenomenal at this show."
The new partnership between EX·TRACTS and the Day Spa Association boosted attendance from spa buyers, encouraged by the access to new retail-ready bath and body resources. "Spa operators were here in large numbers, which is a great new opportunity for us," said exhibitor Stacy Provines of TINte Cosmetics. "We've also seen buyers from all over the United States, as well as a great deal of cross-over traffic from other NYIGF divisions."
The strategic re-positioning of EX·TRACTS between two relevant NYIGF divisions - General Gift and At Home featuring Home Textiles - at the Javits Center resulted in an increase in cross-category sales during the market. "We've experienced great repeat business at this market, as well as exposure to different buyers due to the division's more centralized location," said exhibitor Maziar Aghalarpour of Berjang USA. "We've seen quality buyers at this show, and they're not window shopping. They are low on inventory and writing orders."
Awards for booth design and product excellence were presented to seven exhibitors during the show. Daniel Benedict Design received the EX·TRACTS Best Booth Award; and DayNa Decker's Botanika Collection won "Best of Show" in the EX·TRACTS Best New Product Awards competition.
Five additional exhibitors were named best in individual EX·TRACTS Best New Product Award categories: Earthworks Products for its Earthworks Soap Wrapper in the Bath & Body category; Warren Tricomi Haircare for its Green Walnut Masque in the Beauty Accessory category; Fragonard Parfumeur for its Cette Nuit La Fragrance in the Cosmetic & Fragrance category; Compagnie de Provence for its Ylang Noir Dry Oil in the Natural/Organic category; and Tatine for its Garden & Forest Infusions candles in the Packaging category.
EX·TRACTS is one of eight divisions of the New York International Gift Fair®, the nation's premier gift, home and lifestyle marketplace. In total, NYIGF features nearly 2,800 exhibiting companies with 100,000 product lines. The winter 2010 edition of EX·TRACTS will take place Sunday, January 31, through Thursday, February 4, 2010, at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Information is available online.
The Halloween & Party Expo
The Halloween & Party Expo is proud to announce that the Halloween Industry Association (HIA) is endorsing it in 2010 and 2011. The 2010 Expo is scheduled for January 23-26 in Houston, Texas.
Halloween is the second largest commercial holiday in the United States, and is now the second most important retail season. As the major public show for the Halloween, party, and costume industries, the Halloween & Party Expo connects a global audience of serious buyers and sellers who are eager to tap into this incredibly dynamic market.
Thousands of retailers, from single stores to mass-market domestic and international chains, come to the expo to view the latest industry products and services.
"HIA is incorporated for the purpose of building and promoting the celebration of Halloween, which aligns with the efforts of the Halloween & Party Expo," said Jonathan Erwin, one of the expo's organizers. "This endorsement agreement represents the cooperative spirit and partnership between not only of our two organizations, but within the entire industry."
"HIA is excited to partner with the Halloween & Party Expo for the next two years," said
Michele Biordi, executive director of HIA. "This agreement provides HIA with the opportunity to strengthen its efforts to benefit the industry and the organization's members by facilitating the buying process for both Halloween exhibitors and buyers."
The 2010 Halloween & Party Expo is also endorsed by Party Club of America, Paper First Affiliates and the National Costumers Association. "With HIA's endorsement, we now have the support of our industries' most important and influential organizations, which is gratifying," Erwin said. "We are thrilled to be working with these groups to make our show an even bigger success."
Booths for the 2010 Halloween & Party Expo are selling quickly. As of June 20, 2009, 70 percent of the available booths are reserved. Exhibitors include: Rubies, Disguise, California Costumes, Forum Novelties, Amscan, Leg Avenue, Underwraps, InCharacter, Rasta Imposta, Creative Converting, Hallmark/Party Express, SunStar, Loftus and Elope.
"We fully expect to have a larger show in 2010, and that's saying a lot considering how big the show was in 2009," Erwin said. "The Halloween & Party Expo will be the top order-writing event in the industry in 2010, just like it was in 2009."
For a complete list of exhibitors, and for more information about the Halloween & Party Expo, please visit the show online. For more information about HIA, please contact its national headquarters.
The Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show
The passion for sports in the United States runs deep. How else do you account
for the combined $25 billion in annual retail sales generated by sports licensing and tailgating products?
For years these rapid-growth markets did their growing on parallel tracks, but in 2006 they came together at the Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show in Las Vegas.
The result has been a one-stop shopping extravaganza for souvenir, gift and novelty retailers that gets bigger and better each year. Exhibitors flock to the show in order to hit a broad range of buyers-from stadium concessionaires to gift shops to big-box stores-while thousands of buyers are exposed to moneymaking items they are unlikely to find in their normal haunts.
The three-day event is slated for January 20-22, 2010 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, and features amazing incentive-filled buyer programs and hotel discounts. For more information visit the show online or call.
The Rising Star Retailer Award is looking for 50 Retailers-one in each state-who have created the hottest, coolest, most innovative in-store environments for sports licensing and/or tailgating products. Judges want stores that not only rack up robust sales numbers, but also capture the passion of sports licensing or tailgating in ways that keep their customers coming back for more.
The 50 winners will receive an all expense paid trip to the 2010 Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show, to mingle with the companies who got them there.
Toy Fair 2010
The American International Toy Fair is the largest international toy trade show in the Western Hemisphere where the newest and hottest products in the children's entertainment marketplace are exhibited. It is the premier meeting place for manufacturers, retailers, importers, licensors and reps from around the world.
Toy Fair 2010 will take place February 14-17, 2010 (Sunday - Wednesday) at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and showroom locations in New York City's Toy District. Showroom locations throughout the city are listed in the Show Directory, which is available on-site. Exhibit dates and hours at the Toy District are governed by the individual exhibitor. Some companies may require appointments. Please check with individual exhibitors for their admission policies and schedules.
No children are admitted to the exhibit halls. Absolutely no one under the age of 18 (including infants and toddlers) is permitted to attend Toy Fair. There are no childcare facilities at the Javits Center. Please save yourself and your child the stress and embarrassment of being turned away.
Regarding Toy Fair fees, there is no charge for buyers, manufacturers' representatives, TIA members and media representatives. Trade guests are $75 through Dec. 31, 2009, and $125 starting Jan. 1, and non-exhibiting manufacturers are $250.
Registration is open to the trade only; Toy Fair is not open to the public. Those eligible for admission as buyers include retailers, wholesalers, importers and buying groups. Certain categories of trade guests are also eligible for admission. Individuals who cannot document their direct, professional affiliation to the trade are not qualified to attend. Suppliers to the trade are not qualified to attend. Each registrant must present both Company I.D. and Employee I.D. Individuals who cannot document their direct, professional affiliation to the trade are not qualified to attend.
For details on registration deadlines, required forms of company documentation and employee identification, please visit the fair online. Toy Fair participants will be required to show government-issued photo I.D. (such as driver's license or passport) upon request.
Certain manufacturers may have interest in attending Toy Fair but not as an exhibitor. TIA offers a specific show registration for non-exhibiting manufacturers with the goal of protecting exhibitors and their show investment. Registration allows touring the exhibit floor only. Solicitation of business or distribution of promotional material of any kind is strictly prohibited.
Suppliers to the trade including shippers, paper and packaging companies, graphic design firms, and any individual or company looking to sell their services to exhibitors are not permitted to attend, as are relatives not involved in the business and anyone under age 18.
Exhibitors must confine their activities to their own exhibit spaces, except in the case where show management has made prior arrangements with official show sponsors. Photography of exhibitors' booths is prohibited except with permission of the exhibitor. In compliance with New York State law, smoking is not permitted at any show site. Those who violate any of the rules will be escorted from the show floor and will jeopardize participation in future TIA events.
Urban Expositions
Urban Expositions has announced that the January 8-9, 2010 edition of Birdwatch America will move to the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta, Ga. After reviewing feedback from the show's buyers and exhibitors, Urban Expositions saw a need for a downtown presence to better serve Atlanta trade show buyers. The annual backyard nature products trade show was previously held at the Georgia International Convention Center in south Atlanta's College Park area.
Centrally located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, the Georgia World Congress Center is easily accessible for buyers traveling by car, train, bus or plane. With countless hotel rooms within walking distance and a short, complimentary shuttle ride to AmericasMart, the new location offers a number of benefits to exhibitors and buyers alike.
"After our 2009 edition, the feedback from both our buyers and exhibitors suggested a larger presence in downtown Atlanta would be beneficial both to the show and Atlanta trade show buyers," says Tim von Gal, executive vice president and partner, Urban Expositions. "By relocating to the Georgia World Congress Center and implementing a number of other changes and improvements, we hope to create a more convenient and successful shopping experience for all involved."
The January 2010 edition is expected to feature more than 200 booths showcasing bird feeders, bird houses, water gardening supplies, bird baths, bird seed, optics, garden décor, wildlife art, jewelry and many other birding industry items.
Show highlights include:
Free Shuttle Service
Market visitors will be able to take advantage of complimentary, continuous shuttle service between the Georgia World Congress Center and AmericasMart.
Friday- Saturday Date Pattern
The show's Friday-Saturday pattern better aligns with the buying schedules of retailers visiting the Atlanta marketplace in January.
Show Floor Seminar Series
Seminars will once again be held on the show floor and will run throughout the Friday and Saturday show schedule to give retailers more flexibility and choice. Programs led by birding and retail industry experts will run each morning and afternoon on Friday and Saturday. The full schedule will be announced in upcoming weeks.
Extended Hours and Floor Reception on Friday Evening
To give buyers even more time to explore the comprehensive selection, the show hours have been extended until 7 p.m. on Friday, January 8. All buyers are invited to continue shopping and networking while enjoying free hors d'oeuvres on the show floor.
Goody Bag Giveaway
The first 100 buyers to arrive at the show on Friday, January 8 and Saturday, January 9 will receive a special tote bag filled with free gifts from many of the show's exhibitors.
Show Quick Facts:
Show Dates: Friday, January 8 - Saturday, January 9, 2010
Where:
Georgia World Congress Center
285 Andrew Young
International Blvd., NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30313
Hours:
Friday, January 8: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. (Extended Hours)
Saturday, January 9: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Discounted Hotels: Retailers can take advantage of discounted hotel rates.
Urban Expositions is a leading producer of gift, souvenir and resort merchandise trade shows. With a successful track record bringing buyers and sellers together in cost-effective and convenient settings, the company's growing show roster includes the Philadelphia Gift Show, Grand Strand Gift & Resort Merchandise Show, Boston Gift Show, Ft. Lauderdale Gift Show, Galveston Gift & Resort Merchandise Show, San Francisco International Gift Fair, Seattle Gift Show, Emerald Coast Gift & Resort Show, Las Vegas Souvenir & Resort Gift Show, Market Place Show, Ocean City Resort Gift Expo, Orlando Gift Show, and the invitation-only Gathering event.
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