Post Link: Top 10 Trade Shows 2015: Gift and Homewares

Top 10 Trade Shows 2015: Gift and Homewares

Trade show season for 2015 is almost over, and it’s time to review and start looking forward tonext year. If your wholesale business is looking to make a last sales push before 2015 comes toa close, or get a jump start on 2016, now’s the time to make trade shows part of your plan.

There are hundreds of trade shows to choose from across America in the apparel, homewares,gift, and many other specialized industries. For the purposes of this article, we’ll be focusing onten of the largest wholesale home and gift trade shows 2015 that we think could be important toyour business.

Types of Wholesale Trade Shows

Wholesale trade shows generally fall into two types – national shows in dedicated marketcenters, and individual/regional events in convention centers in major cities. The nationalshows, such as those at Dallas Market Center and Atlanta Market Center, are usually held eachseason (these market centers are often also open all year round with permanent showrooms).

Regional trade shows are held across the country, and there are hundreds to choose from incities large and small. Regional shows tend to be held less frequently––typically twice a year.

Top 10 Trade Shows 2015

At the biggest national trade shows in Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles,September is Fall Market time. Most of the national trade shows for 2015 have already beenheld – the one remaining as of the time of this writing is Los Angeles, to be held the last week ofSeptember 2015. The next round of national trade shows will be the winter shows, typically heldin January or late February. Here are some of the top shows that should be on your radar:

1. Los Angeles Markets:

The LA Markets are the biggest trade shows on the west coast, combining more than 10,000product lines, 150 showrooms and three venues into one really big gift and home market.California Market Center, the LA Mart and the California Gift Show at the Los AngelesConvention Center will combine forces for the LA Fall Market, scheduled to take placeSeptember 27–29. If you plan to sell into major markets on the West Coast, then these showscould be an important part of your national trade show strategy. The LA Markets take place fourtimes a year in Fall, Winter, Summer and Spring.

2. Dallas Total Home and Gift Market:

The Dallas Fall gift and home market also recently wrapped. The Dallas Markets are held fourtimes a year in January, March, June and September at the Dallas Market Center. At the TotalHome and Gift Market, more than 20,000 gift and home décor lines are exhibited. Dallas MarketCenter does not publish attendance numbers for its individual markets; however, Dallas MarketCenter as a whole is visited by 375,000 people each year including more than 75,000 buyersfrom all 50 states and 85 countries, making Dallas a don’t-miss opportunity for wholesalebusinesses.

3. Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market:

Atlanta’s Fall Gift & Home Furnishings Market and The Atlanta Gourmet Market® heldSeptember 16-18, 2015 just wrapped up. But never fear, with multiple markets each year aswell as permanent exhibition space, it’s never too late to register for the next one. The AtlantaGift and Home Markets are held 4 times a year in January, March, July and September. TheJanuary and July markets are the largest of the Atlanta Markets, with upwards of 70,000attendees. The Gift, Furnishings and Holiday Market, held in March, is one of the biggestholiday-oriented markets in America, the September Market features Gourmet products, andJanuary and July feature a concurrent Area Rug show.

4. Chicago Merchandise Mart:

Calling it a trade show is a little bit of a misnomer, because the Chicago Merchandise Mart ismore of a permanent exhibition space featuring thousands of product lines and receiving morethan 20,000 visitors a day, every day of the year. Located in what was once the largest buildingin the world, Chicago Merchandise Mart is also home to a number of events, including what isknown as the Chicago Market, a quarterly trade show for gift and home wholesalers. The

Chicago Gift Market at the Chicago Merchandise Mart is the largest gift and home wholesaletradeshow in the Midwest. The Fall 2015 Chicago Market, also known as the Casual Market foroutdoor and home, was held from September 16- 19, 2015.

5. NY NOW:

With more than 25,000 buyers and more than 2,500 exhibitors, the NY NOW markets – heldtwice a year at the Javits Center in New York City – are among the largest temporary exhibitiongift and home trade shows in the United States. NY NOW is held in Winter and Summer,typically in late August and early February. In 2016, the winter show will be held January 30 toFebruary 3. For more on NY NOW, see this blog post.

6. Las Vegas Market:

The Las Vegas Market for furniture, home décor and gifts is held twice a year in January andAugust. The Las Vegas Market has become one of the biggest furniture, home décor and giftmarkets in the Western United States, and the biggest show in the desert Southwest, with aheavy concentration of buyers who do not attend markets on the East Coast. Las Vegas Marketbills itself as the fastest growing wholesale market in the US, with more than 2,700 exhibitors atits Summer 2015 Market.

7. SFMarket - San Francisco International Gift Fair:

The SFMarket (formerly San Francisco International Gift Fair) recently rolled out a new nameand rebranded itself at its August 2015 market. SFMarket, as it is now known, is held twice ayear at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. It highlights Northern California lifestyles andcompanies, and in a typical year attracts more than 10,000 attendees and thousands of productlines.

8. Denver Markets at the Mart – Rocky Mountain Gift Shows:

The Rocky Mountain Gift Shows are held in February and August. This event is the RockyMountain region’s premier wholesale buying event for the gift, lodge, home, jewelry, resort andrelated industries and is open to both temporary and permanent exhibitors. The Februarymarket attracts more than 3,000 attendees, while nearly 2,000 attend in August.

9. Seattle Gift Show:

Seattle Gift Show takes place at the Washington Convention Center in downtown Seattle twicea year, in January and August. Seattle Gift Show is the Pacific Northwest’s largest wholesalemarket, combining the permanent showrooms of the Pacific Market Center during SeattleMarket Week, which provides exhibition opportunities to more than 10,000 product lines.

10. Boston Gift Show:

Boston Gift Show is held once a year in the spring – typically April – at the Boston Conventionand Exhibition Center. The Boston show is on the smaller side, but has a significant focus on

products made in New England and souvenir items, as well as gift, home and accessories. Ifyour business is in New England, or you want to sell your products there, this is an importantshow to attend.

Obviously, with only 10 to choose from, we had to leave out a lot of great trade shows 2015 –Gatlinburg, Philadelphia and Minneapolis to name just a few. The best way to choose the righttrade show for your products is to look not just at numbers and attendance, but also your targetmarket, positioning and business strategy.

Do you have a question about trade shows or a show you think shouldn’t be missed? Let usknow about it in the comments.Post originally located at: https://www.handshake.com/blog/trade-shows-2015-gift/

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