The Seattle Gift Show “ Washington State Convention & Trade Center Pre-Show Report

Furniture World Magazine

San Francisco: The 147th semi-annual Seattle Gift Show®, the largest gift and decorative accessories event in the Northwest region, will feature 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 winter market will run from Saturday, January 24 through Wednesday, January 28, 2004 (with Early Buying Days at the Seattle Gift Center Thursday, January 22 through Friday, January 23). In addition, all new educational programming, expanded one-on-one consultations and several buyer amenities will be featured. The Market: The Seattle market will include over 900 exhibiting companies, encompassing 145,000 net square feet of exhibit space housed under one roof at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. Throughout the 12 product divisions—At Home; FoodFocus; GardenStyle; Gift & Collectibles; Handmade®; The Jewelry Vaultsm; New Resources; Northwest Directions; Personal Style; Gift/Stationery & Trend; Village Arts; and 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. Over 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 4th Avenue South). Retailers will find a vast selection of souvenir and resort merchandise in the Northwest Directions division—this division has expanded for the winter market and will include approximately 175 booths—as well as unique handcrafted merchandise in the juried division—Handmade, home accessories in the juried division—At Home and personal accessories, home fragrances and aromatherapy in the juried division—Personal Style. “The Seattle Gift Show has received a number of accolades from retailers in the Northwest region. Many storeowners from Alaska and Canada are expected to be in attendance at the January market, and in fact, do their yearly buying here. This show’s reputation as a beautiful, well represented market has been noted by many well established businesses looking to feature unique products in their stores,” said Mike Dean, President, Western Exhibitors, LLC. Seattle Gift Show Statistics: Number of Exhibiting Companies: 900; Net Square Footage: 145,000; Anticipated Buyer Attendance: 15,000; Number of Seattle Gift Center Showrooms: 150 Programs: This season, Show Management has developed all new educational programming. These seminars and workshops conducted by industry leaders will offer both seasoned retailers and those new to business ideas to enhance their stores and increase profitability. Trends, promotions, visual presentation and marketing are just a few topics on this winter’s schedule. The seminars are perfect for everyone associated with the business—from the owner to the sales staff. In addition, an on-site Opening Night reception will kick off The Seattle Gift Show on Saturday from 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm and feature free hors d’oeuvres and a No-host bar. Seminars: Friday, January 23, “Become A Retail Pro Day” is an all-day workshop that will provide workable ideas for creating a profitable bottom line; Saturday, January 24, “Trend Forecasting Day” will feature two new programs designed to give retailers the latest product and color information; Sunday, January 25, “Visual Merchandising and Store Design Day” will address visual merchandising and store design basics and present a completely restructured hands-on visual display workshop; Monday, January 26, “Get The Word Out About Your Store Day” will give attendees up-to-the-minute information how to build an image and increase consumer traffic; Tuesday, January 27, features a true seminar bargain—Two fer Tuesday—where retailers can attend two seminars for the price of one—“Make More Money In Your Store Day” will give an insider view of how to make more money and increase the profitability of the store. (For a complete list of seminars and programs, please refer to the attached At-A-Glance.)