Seattle Gift Show All Together Under One Roof At the Washington State Convention & Trade Center, August 18-22, 2001

Furniture World News

Western Exhibitors, LLC and George Little Management, LLC have joined forces to put together a completely new and expanded Seattle Gift Show®. The 142 d semi-annual market, the Pacific Northwest's largest gift and decorative accessories event, will boast over 4,500 product lines in 1,600 booths-many from Northwest and Canadian manufacturers that retailers will find only at this growing market-all under one roof at the Washington State Convention & Trade' Center. The summer market will run from Saturday, August 18 through Wednesday, August 22, 2001 (with Early Buying Days at the Seattle Gift Center Thursday, August 16 through Friday, August 17). In addition, new seminar programs, expanded one-on-one consultations and.several buyer'amenities will be featured. The New Market -Featuring 6 NEW Divisions: The new Seattle market will include over 900 exhibiting companies, encompassing 150,000 net square feet of exhibit space housed under one roof at the Washington State Convention' & Trade Center. included in the 13 product divisions-At Home-New; GardenStyle- New; Handmade®- Northwest Directions-New; Personal Style-New; Village Arts-New; FoodFocus; General Gift & Collectibles; The Jewelry Vault; Northwest Craft Gallery; Stationery & Trend Merchandise; Tabletop/Housewares/Gourmet; The Vintage Collection-The Seattle Gift Show® will feature a variety of giftware, decorative accessories, personal and fashion accessories, home décor, one-of-a-kind handmade merchandise, antiques and collectibles, tableware and fine jewelry. Nearly 15,000 buyers are expected to attend the show, which runs in cooperation with the permanent showrooms of the Seattle Gift Center (located at 6100 4 th Avenue South). Retailers will find a vast selection of home accessories in the At Home and Personal Style divisions as well as unique handcrafted merchandise in the new juried division -Handmade. -The newly expanded August 18-2Z 2001 Seattle Gift Show® has generated excitement and enthusiasm from the Northwest retail community. Western Exhibitors' association with George Little Management and the development of six new product divisions will give storeowners and buyers more reason to shop this market. The Seattle Gift Show® has been positioned for growth, and the Northwest region's sophisticated consumers have driven the demand for high-quality, unique merchandise. This market-now held under one roof at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center- will deliver some of the most diverse products in the nation, said Mike Dean, President, Western Exhibitors, LLC. "The new divisions managed by George Little Management, LLC-Handmade and Personal Stylewill be reflective of this growing Northwest region. There is a certain quality and diversity that will be consistent with GLM's Handmade and Personal Style divisions presented at other gift markets across the U.S., and they will parallel the region as well as the buyers that are attracted to this market. George Little Management is excited to be part of launching The Sea ttle Gift t Sho w® in to the 2 1st Century, said Lori Robinson, Group Show Manager, George Little Management, LLC. Seattle Gift Show Statistics: Number of Exhibiting Companies: 900; Number of Seattle Gift Center Showrooms: 150; Net Square Footage: 150,000; Anticipated Buyer Attendance: 18,000 Special Feature: Private Retail/Internet Consultations: Back by popular demand! Retailers are invited to register for one-on-one consultations with retail expert Andrew Andoniadis or Internet marketing expert Joanne Stone Geier. participants may discuss a wide range of business-related topics including promotions, web design-, retail pricing, e-commerce, budget, open-to-buy and financials. Attendees are encouraged to bring a detailed outline of the topics they wish to discuss. Appointments for these private, consultations can be made by contacting Stacey Heiss at 41 .4471.3237. The Seattle Gift Show features one of the nation's best seminar programs, specifically designed to cover a wide range of educational topics: making retail profitable, trends, visual merchandising, technology and making more money in retail. Semi inar/workshop attendees will be able to gain valuable, up-to-the-minute information and insight from nationally recognized industry experts. Seminars: Friday, August 17-"Make Your Store More Profitable Day"-will kick off the summer seminar program with an all day, pre-show workshop that will encompass store layout and a retail tour-a guided field trip of Seattle's most successful stores. Retail experts Andrew Andoniadis and Joanne Stone Geier will lead this program. On Saturday, August 18, "Trends Day" will feature two trade publication editors with new programs-Tony DeMasi of Souvenirs, Gifts & Novelties and Chris Gigley of Giftware Business -discussing and analyzing new product trends. The increasingly popular "Visual Impact Day," Sunday, August 19, will feature popular speaker and visual merchandising expert Linda Cahan who will address color psychology as well as high-impact displays for the holiday season. Monday, August 20 is "Technology Day." Two new programs by popular Internet marketing expert Joanne Stone Geier will focus on branding and finding a niche for the brick and mortar stores as well as the "click and mortar" businesses. Tuesday, August 21 features a true seminar bargain-Two fer Tuesday-where retailers can attend two seminars for the price of one. This season, nationally recognized speakers Rick Segel and Andrew Andoniadis will tell retailers how they can "Make More Money In The Retail Business." (For a complete list of seminars and programs, please refer to the attached At-A-Glance.) Seminar Reservations: Reservations for seminars and events taking place at The Seattle Gift Show can be made by phone, fax or mail. Many events sell out in advance and most offer a 25 percent price reduction for preregistration. Checks, Visa, Mastercard are accepted and cash is acceptable on-site. Mail requests to: Seattle Gift Show Special Events, Western Exhibitors, LLC., 2181 Greenwich Street, San Francisco, CA 94123. For additional information, visit The Seattle Gift Show interactive web site at www.seattlegift.com, call Customer Service at 415.346.6666 or fax inquiries to 415.346.4965. The pre-registration deadline is Wednesday, August 16, 2001. Mitra Joins Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association Sohini Mitra has joined the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) as junior public relations manager. Mitra's responsibilities include press releases, newsletters, and promotional materials. "The passion and dedication Sohini puts into her work shows in the quality of every project," said William L. MacMillan, JPMA president. "We are all glad to have her as part of the public relations team." Mitra is a recent graduate of The College of New Jersey. She obtained her bachelor of arts in communications. While in her senior year she interned at the WB- 17 television studio in Philadelphia. There she worked in the Newsroom and developed her public relations skills. She currently resides in Voorhees. The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, Inc. is a national trade organization of more than 400 companies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. These companies manufacture and/or import infant products such as cribs, car seats, strollers, bedding, and a wide range of accessories and decorative items. For more information on JPMA or to become a member, contact JPMA at 17000 Commerce Parkway, Suite C, Mt. Laurel, N.J., 08054, phone: (856) 439-0500; fax: (856) 439-0525, e-mail: jpma@ahint.com, or Web site: wwwjpma.org.