The Newly Expanded And Reinvented Seattle Gift Show Receives Rave Reviews From Buyers And Exhibitors

Furniture World Magazine

POST-SHOW REPORT The 142nd semi-annual Seattle Gift Show, the Northwest’s largest gift and accessories market, saw many new and exciting changes at the August 18-22, 2001 market. Now completely housed under one roof (the first time in over 30 years), the show also introduced six new product divisions—At Home, GardenStyle, Handmade®, Northwest Directions, Personal Style and Village Arts. Nearly 13,000 buyers shopped 895 booths in the newly expanded Washington State Convention & Trade Center. In addition, educational seminars and workshops were well attended as industry experts shared the latest "business" trends with storeowners to help them prepare for the busy fourth quarter. To celebrate the inauguration of this Northwest Market, over 600 buyers and exhibitors attended a special opening night reception on the beautiful new Sky Bridge—connecting the South and new North Hall of the Convention Center. This summer’s event focused on retailers that were gearing up for the upcoming holiday season and replenishing inventory in the category of gift and home accessories. "We are so pleased with the new look and feel of The Seattle Gift Show®—retailers in this emerging Northwest region now have a sophisticated market that will be able to fill all their inventory needs," stated Mike Dean, President and Show Manager, Western Exhibitors, LLC. "The new divisions and our expanded partnership with George Little Management has brought the market a renewed sense of excitement and enthusiasm," continued Dean. "Having The Seattle Gift Show® under one roof at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center made the shopping experience for retailers much more enjoyable." added Wendy Breuner, Executive Vice President and Show Manager, Western Exhibitors, LLC. "We heard so many wonderful comments about the new look of the Show. Buyers felt they could thoroughly shop the market, build better relationships with their vendors and spend the time necessary to make important buying decisions," said Breuner. Post Show Statistics Number of Exhibiting Companies: 895, Number of Booths • 1,460 • Net Square Footage: 141,086 • Retail Stores: 7,311 • Buyer Attendance: 12,814 Future Market Dates The 143rd semi-annual Seattle Gift Showx will take place January 26-30, 2002 at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. The winter market will expand its resort and souvenir category—Northwest Directions. The Seattle market is held in cooperation with the permanent showrooms of the Seattle Gift Center. Coming In January • At Home—a juried division which is devoted to products that make a home beautiful from furniture, floor coverings and lighting accessories to artistic decorative pieces, textiles and wall art. • GardenStyle—a fusion of products geared toward the growing trend of outdoor living—a perfect division for Northwest garden enthusiasts. Furniture, containers, pottery, statuary, fountains and all garden accessories. • Handmadex—a unique juried division, which features international and domestic artisans, designers and manufacturers of handmade merchandise. Products include functional and decorative accessories, fashion accessories and jewelry, plus an array of other unique craft objects. • EXPANDED! Northwest Directions—a special focus on the profitable Northwest tourist and cruise industry, Northwest Directions will feature products made by manufacturers geared for the busy vacation season. • Personal Style—a juried division dedicated to products that bring a new dimension to lifestyle. Jewelry, aromatherapy, bath and body products, handbags and personal accessories are just a sampling of the merchandise found in this section. • Village Arts—multi-cultural, exotic product from around the world. The Village Arts division brings a blend of products handmade and imported from villages across the globe. With the increasing number of travelers, buyers will want to add products with a world-beat to their mix. • NEW Seminar Programs—all new seminar programs featuring topics that will help retailers with financial success, marketing, visual presentation and creating a workable business plan. Markets Represented General giftware; tabletop; housewares; decorative and personal accessories; contemporary, traditional, home furnishings; handcrafted Northwest crafts products; floral and garden products; and juvenile products; toys and games; antiques and found objects; pre-packaged gourmet food items; stationery; souvenir/resort products; personal care items; fine and fashion jewelry. Profile of Attendees Specialty and department stores; gift shops; jewelry and clothing boutiques; galleries; craft retailers; gourmet shops; juvenile stores; nurseries; mail order catalogs; interior and garden designers; importers; and distributors. Exhibitor and Attendee Information For exhibitor information about The Seattle Gift Show®, please contact Western Exhibitors, LLC, 2181 Greenwich Street, San Francisco, CA 94123. Telephone 415.346.6666; fax 415.346.4965; e-mail showinfo@weshows.com. Additional information may be obtained on-line at www.seattlegift.com. For exhibitor information for the Handmadex and Personal Style divisions, please contact Paula Bertolotti, Divisional Manager, at George Little Management, LLC, Ten Bank Street, White Plains, NY 10606. Telephone 914.421.3395; fax 914.948.6493; e-mail sgs@glmshows.com. Additional information may be obtained on-line at www.seattlegift.com. For buyer information, contact Western Exhibitors, LLC, 2181 Greenwich Street, San Francisco, CA 94123. Phone: 800.346.1212 (outside of the Bay Area) or 415.346.0168 (within the San Francisco Bay Area). Fax 415.346.4965. E-mail: showinfo@weshows.com. Additional information may be obtained on-line at www.seattlegift.com. Management Information The Seattle Gift Showx is co-produced by Western Exhibitors, LLC of San Francisco, California and George Little Management, LLC of White Plains, New York. The Seattle Gift Showx, and The Jewelry Vaultsm are registered trademarks of Western Exhibitors, LLC, San Francisco, California, USA. Handmade® is a registered trademark of George Little Management, LLC.