The second half of the trade- show year is packed with must-see events, so start planning those business trips. Visit hfnmag.com/calendar for a full schedule, dates and contact information.
Housewares
First up is the Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market, from July 14 through July 21, which has featured the Gourmet/Housewares Product Center since January 2009. Its open-air showroom floor plan surrounds a state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen, which has provided opportunities for the market to expand its offerings in housewares.
Celebrity chef Tyler Florence and Atlanta-area chefs will be providing demonstrations at this show. The center will also host an AmericasMart University class presented by Mary Moore, founder and chief executive officer of The Cook’s Warehouse, and Janis Johnson, president and founder of the Gourmet Catalog, who will describe how to cross-merchandise and incorporate gourmet products into a gift store.
Nearly 200 lines will be spotlighted at the show, including those from two notable additions to the show, Nordic Ware and Jura-Capresso.
Along with the permanent product center is a temporary gourmet product collection, which will be located on Floor 2 of AmericasMart. These will present more than 150 lines, and its location will highlight cross-merchandising opportunities with the show’s gift, tabletop and home-entertaining product centers.
The New York International Gift Fair, which is scheduled for Aug. 14 through Aug. 19, will, as usual, feature its Tabletop & Housewares division. The August Gift Fair will feature more than 500 high-end tabletop and housewares suppliers. More specific in the latter segment, vendors of bakeware and kitchen gadgets will be among the exhibitors.
A notable absence from the second-half trade-show schedule this year is the Gourmet Housewares Show. In May, GLM, owner of the show, announced that the Gourmet Housewares Show will return as part of the Gift Fair in August 2011.
Textiles
This year’s second half begins with the debut of the Home Textiles Fabric Sourcing Expo, a Messe Frankfurt show that will be co-located at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City with Texworld USA and the International Apparel Sourcing Show, which is also making its first appearance. The three shows are scheduled for July 13 to July 15.
Two shows that will take place the following month, Las Vegas Market and the New York International Gift Fair, will both feature a prominent textiles presence. The market is scheduled for Aug. 2-6.
Textiles has always been a major part of the Gift Fair, scheduled for Aug. 14 through Aug. 19. The summer version has planned a number of new features, including the use of the expanded space at the Javits Center and the return to Pier 92 at the Passenger Ship Terminal.
As usual, New York Home Textiles Market Week will take place concurrently with the Gift Fair. Showrooms at 7 W New York and 230 Fifth Ave. will be open during that period—and will be open again in September for the New York Home Fashions Market, scheduled for Sept. 13 through Sept. 17, and along with vendors located at 7 W NY and 230 Fifth Ave., vendors in the two long-standing textiles showroom buildings, 295 Fifth Ave. and 261 Fifth Ave., will also present their wares.
The end of August will bring Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. This event will feature the debut of a new zone for European suppliers that will be located in Hall W1 of the Expo Centre.
Rugs
The rug industry once again heads to Atlanta this July for the Atlanta International Area Rug Market. Coinciding with the Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market, the market now has expanded product offerings and opportunities for crossover buying.
AmericasMart University will again offer several area rug seminars, including Conservation, Repair or Restoration; Modern Renaissance in Turkish Rug Weaving and Appraising: Modern vs. Old vs. Antique Rugs from Different Countries; and Pacific Collection: Recreating Antique Rug Designs Produced in Afghanistan.
The rug industry heads to the World Market Center in Las Vegas in August. Also in August, the New York International Gift Fair will include its At Home section, which includes area rugs.
As usual, New York Home Textiles Market Week will take place concurrently with NYIGF. Showrooms at 7 W New York and 230 Fifth Ave. will be open during that period—and will be open again in September for the New York Home Fashions Market. In addition to 7 W NY and 230 Fifth Ave., it will include vendors at 295 Fifth Ave. and 261 Fifth Ave. as well.
The domestic rug trade show season ends with High Point Market.
The India Carpet Expo is scheduled for Oct. 29-Nov. 1 in Varnasi in Uttar Pradesh, India. The event will feature various types of oriental and contemporary hand-knitted and hand-tufted carpets.
Furniture
As the furniture industry moves into the back half of 2010, there is reason for some optimism. The winter and spring markets in High Point and Las Vegas were certainly more encouraging than their year-ago counterparts, even if it wouldn’t have taken much to do so.
After a one-year experiment holding its show in September—just four weeks before High Point and coinciding with pre-market—Las Vegas World Market Center has returned to its mid-summer window. Las Vegas, in the meantime, is adding on show-within-a-show elements for kids and gifts in an effort to expand its reach.
High Point continues to bolster its buyer-friendly elements. The one wild card surrounding the October show this year is the financial uncertainty of two of the three big showroom complexes in town. Both MMPI’s Market Square and affiliated properties in town and the Showplace building have run into money issues and their ultimate ownership remains open to speculation. That said, it’s business as usual at both.
The aforementioned gift shows—in Atlanta, New York, Dallas, Chicago and Los Angeles—continue to target furniture and decorative accessories as growth areas and for the second half of the year we are likely to see more activity in those locations. And Tupelo continues its August event focused primarily on promotional goods.
The International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market, held at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, provides retailers with an outlet to find all things related to outdoor and casual living. Featuring the latest products and trends in the industry, the Casual Market averages approximately 350 temporary exhibitors and permanent showrooms totaling approximately 350,000 square feet of overall exhibit space.
Tabletop
The second-half of the trade show season kicks off with The New York International Gift Fair, featuring an expanded Accent On Tabletop section. GLM, the show’s organizers, said many key suppliers are returning to the show and several long-standing exhibitors are planning expansions. Notable additions to the summer 2010 market include first-ever NYIGF participants Churchill China with its Jamie Oliver ceramic ware, and ScanTrends, which represent companies from Denmark and Italy. Other leading companies returning to NYIGF following an absence are: Galena (Colombian silver and wood serveware), Gien (French dinnerware and accessories), Nouvelle Studios (exquisite Mexican designer glass products), Talisman Designs (whimsical household tools and gadgets) and Urban Oasis (high-design home goods).
The Chicago Market: Living and Giving, July 22-28, promises to be packed with a calendar of business and retail seminars and special events including a keynote presentation from Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s.
Tendence, the international consumer-goods platform, is back at its traditional time slot at the end of August. The fair will present the latest products and ideas for the home and giving in Frankfurt, Germany. The fair with the most international spectrum of exhibits is split into two trade fairs, Giving and Living. While Giving reflects the whole world of creative gift ideas, Living is the platform for the home and design.
For the upcoming Fall Tabletop Market Week, scheduled for Oct. 12-15, 7 W New York will shine the spotlight on its widening range of home entertaining products in the tabletop, linen and decorative accessories categories. Partnering with a media leader in the home/apartment design field, a series of signature programs and events are being developed and will be announced shortly. During the Tabletop Market, style experts will create inspiring vignettes with an emphasis on color and its impact on cuisine and tabletop settings. All four vignettes will feature products pulled from 7 W showrooms. A keynote presentation will be held on Oct. 12. 7 W will celebrate tabletop week with cocktails and appetizers for buyers, manufacturers and designers on Oct. 12. The building is also offering a complimentary Buyer’s Lunch, also on Oct. 12. There will be a free Luxury Limo Service between 7 W and Forty One Madison on Oct. 12-14.
As usual, Forty One Madison has lots of activities planned for the Fall Tabletop Market. Inspiring tablesettings featuring various designs from Forty One Madison showrooms will be on display in the lobby throughout the show. This fall market’s partner for the lobby displays had not been named at press time. There will be a Breakfast Seminar Session on Oct. 13. The Café on Level A will again be hosted by Bridal Guide magazine and will be serving light-bite breakfasts and lunches Tuesday through Thursday. In Forty One Madison showroom news, Portmeirion, a longtime Forty One Madison tenant, will be expanding to a new showroom from its previous location on floor 19 to 20.
Gordon Segal, chairman and co-founder of Crate & Barrel, will present the keynote presentation at the California Gift Show in July.
AmericasMart’s Building 2 WestWing is gearing up for its second summer show with new floor plans, category-specific events and seminars and an exclusive new Market Club location, during the Atlanta Gift and Home Furnishings Market.
The inaugural Icon Honors awards will be presented at the show. Created exclusively by AmericasMart Atlanta in collaboration with GHTA and HFN, Icon Honors is a major international program fully embracing the gift and home categories in an independent recognition of exemplary achievement. The awards celebration, scheduled for July 17, will feature a performance by vocalist Michael McDonald.
The recently redesigned and renamed Living and Entertaining: Gifts, Tabletop & Accessories on floors 8 and 9 in Building 2 continues to gain momentum and strengthen its resources with new product offerings and educational seminars. Building 2 and 2 WestWing will feature a host of special events, guests and seminars, including new product introduction galleries on floors 6, 8 and 9 in Building 2 and on floor 6 in Building 2 WestWing, classes and hands-on training for personalizing product, discussions on how to boost sales and a Polynesian Party on 6, sponsored by the floor’s showrooms.
Maison & Objet will take place at the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre in September. The show aims to inspire trade visitors from around the world.
This year’s Macef, the major international home show, will feature the latest and greatest in categories such as tableware, kitchenware and home decor. The 2010 edition of Macef Autumn will also see the show expand its traditional sectors to include the new sector Outdoor, Gardening and Pets. This will be the 86th edition of the trend-setting event.