Increase In Store Registration Creates Enthusiasm At The Seattle Gift Show

Furniture World Magazine

The 148th semi-annual Seattle Gift Show, the Northwest's largest gift and accessories market, experienced a five percent increase in retail store registration for the August 21-25, 2004 market creating enthusiasm on the buying floor. Nearly 12,800 attendees shopped 1,390 booths in order to stock shelves for the anticipated sales in the fourth quarter. Exhibitors reported strong buying patterns throughout the week and were encouraged by a recovering economy in this region. “Reports from the show floor were encouraging from both buyers and exhibitors. With many gift markets across the nation experiencing a decline in store attendance, it was a pleasure to hear such optimistic comments. It is important for us-as show managers-to keep the momentum going and work toward the future with new ideas and different marketing strategies in order to increase attendance,” stated Mike Dean, President and Show Manager, Western Exhibitors, LLC. “The Seattle Gift Show has implemented many programs and amenities to encourage retailers to place orders while at the show. We were encouraged by the numbers of attendees that took advantage of all the show had to offer and realize that by offering small incentives we are able to create a loyal customer base,” added Wendy Tonkin, Executive Vice President and Show Manager, Western Exhibitors, LLC. Post Show Statistics Number of Exhibiting Companies: 829 Number of Booths: 1,390 Net Square Footage: 129,153 Retail Stores: 7,369 Buyer Attendance: 12,750 New Stores: 597 New Buyers: 1,455 Exhibitor Feedback: “This Seattle show was one of my top 5 shows EVER! I opened a lot of new accounts, it was a very busy show for us and we saw a lot more out of state buyers this time. We did much better here in Seattle than at the LA show.. Definitely a great show!” -Chris Overholt-Namu Baru, Seattle, Washington Buyer Feedback: “When you think your've seen it all - you see more! This is better and more enjoyable than working with reps. Entertaining, Educational. The depth of understanding you get from exhibitors you can pass along to your customers to increase sales. You can't get that from a rep or a catalog.” -Emily $ Harvey Pekich, Emily's, Kirkland, WA “I'm here to see new trends and find new things. I'm looking primarily for accessories and gifts - the extra things that make a store special. If you walk this market you can see very quickly what's happening. I shop two days, working with regular suppliers and trying to find new ones.” -Alexandra Smith, Le Roux Fine Clothing, Seattle, WA Booth Awards: Best Booth At Home: Bungalow Best Booth FoodFocus: Petit Reine Confections Best Booth GardenStyle: La Bouquetiere Best Booth General Gift: Me Giant Best Booth Handmade®: Ali-O Jewelry Designs Best Booth Northwest Directions: Tweetie & Storter Marketing Best Booth Personal Style: Brown Butterfly Best Booth Village Arts: Dragonfly Imports Best Booth Gift/Stationery & Trend: Insignia Best Booth Multi-Line Rep: The Missing Link Show Management Awards: A J & Assoc./Clay Art Studio/K & K Interiors/Luray Collection The Seattle Gift Show Rewards Buyers for Attending the August 2004 Market: The management team of The Seattle Gift Show® continued to promote the popular Buyer Rewards Program during the summer 2004 market. The purpose of this promotion is to encourage retailers to increase their buying dollars while shopping the temporary exhibits as well as to bring added excitement to the show atmosphere. Many of those that participated in the Buyer Rewards program commented that they placed additional orders in order to redeem better prizes. Prizes ranged from a box of mints and exhibitor prizes, to cash back for orders placed at the show. In addition, buyers reaching specific buying pinnacles were eligible for several grand prize drawings, which included a trip to Puerto Vallarta, significant cash rebates for orders and hotel stays at luxury properties for the 2005 winter market. The grand prize winners are as follows: $1,000 Cash Rebate Ruby Moon, Golden Crane-Corvallis, OR $2,500 Cash Rebate Jamie Lunstad, Jamie's Depot-Cle Elum, Washington 3 Nights in a Luxury Hotel Bert McCollum, Shear Illusion, Ltd.-Spokane, Washington Trip to Puerto Vallarta Joan Barker, Rosewood Cottage-La Grande, Oregon Future Market Dates: The 149th semi-annual Seattle Gift ShowË will take place January 29-February 2, 2005 at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center and will be held in cooperation with the permanent showrooms of the Seattle Gift Center. Coming In January •12 Product Divisions-including the juried divisions At Home, Handmade® and Personal Style. •Expanded Northwest Directions Division- The most complete array of tourist and resort merchandise with an emphasis on products made especially for the Northwest will expand on the 6th Floor of the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. •All new seminar programs-all new educational programs have been developed for the winter 2005 market to assist retailers with increasing their profit margins. •Back by popular demand! Powerful Profit Centers: Teach The Teacher Workshops-two daily sessions will be presented to “teach the teacher”-giving retailers the opportunity to learn how to instruct their customers and increase their profit margins-the “make it and take it” format will cover scrapbooking, bow-making, giftwrap, gift baskets and wreath-making. •Special events for buyers/exhibitors-great new events will be held during the market in January-buyers and exhibitors can look forward to free wine tasting featuring vineyards from Washington as well as other on-site receptions. Markets Represented: General giftware; tabletop; housewares; decorative and personal accessories; contemporary, traditional, home furnishings; handcrafted Northwest crafts; floral and garden; 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 Handmade® exhibitor information, contact Andrea Casanova, divisional manager by e-mail at andrea_casanova@glmshows.com. For Personal Style exhibitor information, contact Sonia Mansfield, divisional manager, by e-mail at sonia_mansfield@glmshows.com. George Little Management, LLC, 888 South Figueroa Street, Suite 600, Los Angeles, CA 90017. Telephone 213.362.5640. Fax 213.362.5660. Additional information is available online 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 ShowË is produced by Western Exhibitors, LLC of San Francisco, California and managed by Universal Shows, Inc. Handmade® and Personal Style are managed by George Little Management, LLC of White Plains, New York. The Seattle Gift ShowË, 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.