AMERICASMART ATLANTAAtlanta, Ga.www.americasmart.comMission/Background: It is the nation’s leading

gift, home furnishings and area rug marketplaceand the largest trade mart/trade show complexof its kind in the world. More retailers frommore places do business here than in any otherU.S. wholesale market.

When: Twenty-three wholesale markets arehosted annually, six are dedicated to the gift andhome furnishings markets. With the exception ofAmericasMart’s Florida Gift & Home FurnishingsMarket, all of the shows are held in Atlanta at theAmericasMart Atlanta campus.

Registration: AmericasMart is open to thetrade only, and there is no fee to attend.

Sponsors: All of the markets are sponsored byAMC, Inc., the parent company of AmericasMartAtlanta.

Attendance: More than 548,000 people attendannually.

Target markets: All retailers, from small specialtystores to large department stores.

Geographical region of attendees: Global reach —50 states and 80 countries.

Dedicated floor space: 4.2 million sq.ft.

Show vendors: Diverse group of exhibitorsspanning the gift, home furnishings and area ruglandscape. AmericasMart ensures retailers imme-diate access to the nation’s largest single collec-tion of product in the gardens, tabletop, finelinens and home décor, gourmet, holiday/floral,area rugs, general gift, apparel, gift and resort,fashion accessories and fine jewelry, furnitureand furnishings, etc.

Buying or perusing: Buying, retailers identifythis show as the wholesale marketplace mostimportant to their business.

Educational sessions: The Discovery Seriesoffers Market attendees an extensive menu ofpractical, yet consistently modern and insight-ful, seminars. Topics range from business fun-damentals and the bottom-line to consumerbehavior and trends, interior design and designideologies. Speakers are renowned industryprofessionals/experts.

LAS VEGAS GIFT EXPOLas Vegas, Nev.www.merchandisegroup.comMission/Background: To provide customers

with an unparalleled selection of mid-marketgift and variety merchandise. ASD/AMD’s ➧

2 2 L A W N & G A R D E N R E T A I L E R M A R C H 2 0 0 5

To provide the most beneficialinformation to help develop orkeep your gift section fresh andspecialty oriented, we asked thesponsors/managers of the gift

shows here in the states to provide the five Ws(who, what, where, when and why) of theirshows. Below you will find their responses,which will help you decide which show is thebest for you to attend. In order to keep the arti-cle timely for months to come, the correspond-ing Web sites will provide you with the specificupcoming dates and registration informationneeded to attend. The information below comesstrictly from each gift show itself, though Lawn& Garden Retailer finds each show valuable, wedid not provide the facts. But I will say that eachone offers something distinctive, whether it is adifferent category or artisans and specialtyshops from the respective region. And, it couldprovide that special artist you can feature orgourmet food product that you can carry thatwill make your garden center more memorable.There are six shows listed; but please rememberthis is not a complete listing of the shows dedi-cated to the gift market. These are some just toget you started.

Trade Shows of the

Gift Market

M A N A G E M E N T

By Mackenzie Gaffney

A condensed but comprehensive guide to give you the information you need to enhance your gift section.

Photos courtesy of AmericasMart Atlanta.

Las Vegas Gift Expo’s uniqueassociation with the nation’slargest variety and general mer-chandise show makes it truly aone-stop shopping event.

When: Held twice yearly, inMarch and August.

Registration: It is free for the trade.This show is not open to the public.

Sponsors: ASD/AMD’s LasVegas Gift Expo is produced byVNU Expositions’ ASD/AMDMerchandise Group and runs inconjunction with the ASD/AMD

Trade Show-Las Vegas and theASD/AMD Jewelry Show at theMirage, also in Las Vegas.

Attendance: In excess of 55,000.Target markets: Independent

gift retailers, national chains andbuying consortiums.

Geographical region of attendees:National.

Dedicated floor space: 12,000 netsq.ft. is dedicated specifically to giftproduct channels.

Show vendors: 500 companiesexhibit in 1,200 booths, selling prod-ucts in all gift and variety categories.

Buying or perusing: It is primarilya buying show — no cash and carry— order writing only.

Educational sessions: No.

BOSTON GIFT SHOWBoston, Mass.www.bostongiftshow.comMission/Background: The Boston

Gift Show is the largest, most com-prehensive gift market in NewEngland. Its mission is to provideretailers with the latest and great-est that the gift industry has tooffer, and present resources thatcannot be found in some of themajor markets.

When: It is held semi-annuallyeach spring and fall.

Registration: Open to the tradeonly and does not require a fee.

Sponsors: The Gift Show is man-aged by George Little Management,LLC.

Attendance: 9,000 retailers pershow.

Target markets: Markets repre-sented, and profiles of attendeesare similar to those of theCalifornia Gift Show and the NewYork International Gift Fair.

Geographical region of attendees:The show consists of attendees fromMassachusetts, New Hampshire,Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island,Connecticut, North Eastern NewYork and South Eastern Canada.

Dedicated floor space: 132,000sq.ft. is dedicated to the springshow, and the fall show covers102,000 sq.ft.

Show vendors: 600 exhibitors arepresent in categories that include:

• General Gift — establishedand new gift resources, such asdecorative accessories, stationery,gourmet and specialty foods andproducts, collectibles, novelties,holiday items, etc.

• Souvenir Source — 65exhibitors that feature resort appar-el, souvenirs, novelties, impulseitems, games, collectibles and toys.Exclusive to the spring show.

• Made in New England —distinctive giftware and specialtyfoods unique to the region.

M A N A G E M E N T

2 4 L A W N & G A R D E N R E T A I L E R M A R C H 2 0 0 5

Write in 797

Write in 766 Write in 765

source for the latest lifestyle trends, such ashome décor, personal care, jewelry, handbags,belts, pillow and rugs.

When: The Gift Show is held semi-annually dur-ing the winter and summer.

Registration: The show is open to the tradeonly with no registration fee.

Sponsors: This show is managed by GeorgeLittle Management, LLC on behalf of DMGWorld Media.

Attendance: 31,000.Target markets: Markets that are represented

include fashion accessories, jewelry, home fur-nishings, seasonal and floral products,garden/outdoor décor, personal care, sta-tionery, resort and souvenir. The show reports alarge portion of attendee profiles comes fromspecialty stores, museums and galleries,florist/floral accessories stores, mail order cata-logs, craft retailers and gift shops.

Geographical region of attendees: Predominantlydraw from a 400-mile radius of Los Angeles;largest attendee groups are from SouthernCalifornia and north to Monterey, Calif.,Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

Dedicated floor space: During the winter show,net exhibit space is 305,000 sq.ft., and the sum-mer show is 312,000 sq.ft.

M A R C H 2 0 0 5 L A W N & G A R D E N R E T A I L E R 2 5

• Handmade — work of domestic and inter-national artisans in a variety of media, such asceramics, wood, metal, glass, basketry, fiber,paper, jewelry and leather products.

• The Museum Source — manufacturers,publishers and distributors of products foundin museum gift shops and galleries.

• At Home — fine decorative and home acces-sories like hand-painted and contemporary furni-ture, lighting, vases, candlesticks, floor coverings, etc.

• Personal Accessories — personal care items,perfume, travelware, belts, fashion accessories,health and beauty.

• Jubilee Gift Basket Pavilion — in fall, exhibitorsfeature gift basket items, such as gourmet foods,bath and body products, candles, aromatherapy,corporate gifts, sports and hobby gifts, coffee andtea, cookies, chocolates, florals, themed baskets, etc.

Buying or perusing: Buying.Educational sessions: Educational programs are

offered in topics such as merchandising, displaytechniques, customer service and promotions.

CALIFORNIA GIFT SHOWLos Angeles, Calif.www.californiagiftshow.comMission/Background: This show is the largest

gift show on the West Coast. It is the premier

Show vendors: Approximately 1,800 vendors in11 divisions that are broken down as follows:

• At Home — devoted to home products likefloor coverings, lighting, accessories, artistic dec-orative pieces, textiles and wall art.

• EX-TRACTS — aromatherapy, bath andshower gels, body care, essential oils, bath acces-sories and other personal care items.

• Fashion Accessories — accessories thatinclude costume and sterling silver jewelry, hand-bags, watches, leather goods, boutique appareland personal accessories.

• General Gift — largest section of the show,featuring decorative tabletop, casual dinner-ware, ceramics, toys, seasonal floral and trim-a-tree, specialty foods and confections and gener-al import items.

• Handmade — features North American arti-sans working in ceramic, metals, glass, leatherbasketry, fiber, paper, mixed media, etc.

• Jewelry (cash and carry) — encompasses aspecial feature Beaders’ Gallery that presentsbeads, finished handmade jewelry and jewelrymaking supplies. Fine, sterling and customdesigned jewelry, beads, precious/semi-preciousstones and jewelry are available for order writingor immediate delivery.

• L.A. Contemporary — section showcasing ➧

M A N A G E M E N T

Write in 803

M A N A G E M E N T

contemporary and innovative designs in a myri-ad of product categories; a special emphasis isput on cutting edge products from L.A.-baseddesigners.

• Outdoor Elements — dedicated to creatingthe outdoor room, including outdoor furnish-ings, lighting and garden accents, statuary,planters, etc.

• Resort, Souvenir & Licensing — music, vaca-tion/resort apparel, collegiate items, noveltygames and gifts, jewelry, streetwear, beach acces-sories, travel essentials and licensed product.

• Stationery Etc. — greeting cards, invitations,paper, partyware, giftwrap, balloons, photoalbums, stamps, journals and writing instruments.

• World Style — the largest selection of interna-tional merchandise in the industry, such as con-temporary and traditional furnishings, antiques,artifacts, sculpture, craft and apparel, NativeAmerican, Southwest and New Age gifts.

Buying or perusing: Buying.Educational sessions: The schedule of educa-

tion programs includes merchandising and dis-play techniques, trends, customer service andpromotions, all presented by the respected lead-ers in that industry.

NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL GIFT FAIR

New York, N.Y.www.nyigf.comMission: The New York International Gift Fair

is the largest temporary market in the UnitedStates, attracting attendees from all over theworld. This is a “must attend” event for anyonein the gift industry — both exhibitor andattendee — as this is the place where trends areestablished, new products are launched and theindustry comes together twice each year.

When: The fair is held semi-annually each win-ter and summer.

Registration: The show is open to the tradeonly, and registration is free.

Sponsors: The Gift Fair is managed by GeorgeLittle Management, LLC.

Attendance: 43,000 retailers per show.Target markets: Markets that are represented

are general giftware, tabletop and housewares,personal accessories, home furnishings, museumgifts, ethnic, traditional, country and contempo-rary crafts, specialty foods, contemporary designproducts, juvenile products and floral products.The general profile of typical attendees comefrom specialty and department stores, gift shops,jewelry stores, interior designers, importers anddistributors of home furnishings, mail order cat-alogs, museums and galleries, stationery stores,craft retailers and garden centers.

Geographical region of attendees: Internationalarena. But heavy concentration within the tri-state area, with top states listed by order of atten-dance as follows: New York, New Jersey,Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts,Florida, Maryland, California, Virginia, Texasand Illinois. The top countries in attendance areCanada, Japan, England, Mexico, Bermuda,Hong Kong, Australia, Germany and France.

Dedicated floor space: The winter show consistsof 650,000 sq.ft. and 612,000 sq.ft. during thesummer show.

Show vendors: Approximately 2,900 vendors in11 different categories as follows:

• Accent on Design — innovative designs in amyriad of product categories including decora-tive accessories, lighting and home furnishings,housewares, stationery, tabletop, gourmet andgeneral gift merchandise, all based on creativity,originality and good design.

• Handmade — international and domesticartisans and designers of handmade merchan-dise ranging from fashion accessories, jewelryand other crafts, and based on uniqueness, mar-ketability and appropriateness for the market.

• Just Kidstuff — upscale products for chil-dren of all ages, including bedding, furniture,dolls, toys and games, clothes, books and educa-tional materials.

• The Museum Source — devoted to manufac-turers, importers and publishers whose productsare appropriate for museum gift shops, bookstores,specialty shops, zoos, aquariums and galleries.

• New & Distinctive Resources — thenewest exhibitors, representing productsfrom all categories.

• Floral & Garden Accessories — silk flowers,dried flowers, vases, plant stands, ribbons, outdoorand garden room furniture, decorative tabletopand stationery products with floral motifs.

• At Home — products that beautify the home,such as small furniture, lighting, vases, candle-sticks, pillows, artwork, floor coverings, etc.

• General Gift — largest section of the fair,covering a range of products such as ceramics,stationery, premiums, specialty foods, toys, partylines, trim-a-tree, souvenirs, novelties, etc.

• Tabletop & Housewares — offers productsthat make preparing and entertaining at homeeasy and special, including bakeware, barware,china, cookware, cutlery, flatware/dinnerware,electrics, gadgets, glassware, kitchenware, tablelinens and kitchen textiles.

• Personal Accessories — people products,including men’s gifts, fashion accessories, jewel-ry, travelware and personal care.

• New York’s Newest — a collection of 300companies all new to the New York InternationalGift Fair during the winter market.

Buying or perusing: Buying.Educational sessions: A schedule of programs

is offered by industry leaders addressing topicson merchandising, display, trends, customerservice and promotions. A Retail Tour of someof New York City’s innovative gift stores alsooffers participants education on the topics cov-ered in the sessions.

ORLANDO GIFT SHOWOrlando, Fla.www.orlandogiftshow.comMission/Background: The semi-annual

Orlando Gift Show is the largest and longest-running temporary gift show in central Florida.

When: Held in January, it runs concurrentlywith the International New Age Trade Show-East(INATS-East). In July/August, it runs concurrent-ly with the Jewelry and Accessories Expo.

2 6 L A W N & G A R D E N R E T A I L E R M A R C H 2 0 0 5

Write in 781

Registration: It is a wholesaletrade show for professional retailbuyers only, with free on-site regis-tration at the show.

Sponsors: This show is a partner-ship venture between leading showproducers George LittleManagement, LLC, UniversalShows, Inc. and Urban Expositions.

Attendance: 6,000 attendees inJanuary and August.

Target markets: Gift, garden andhome accessory retailers.

Geographical region of attendees:Retailers located in Northern andCentral Florida, as well as theFlorida Panhandle.

Dedicated floor space:Approximately 58,000 sq.ft. inAugust and 35,000 sq.ft. in January.

Show vendors: The Orlando showoffers a wide variety of products/product categories, including thoseof interest for lawn and gardenretailers. This would encompasspottery, planters, statues, sculp-tures, wind chimes, sundials, can-dles, garden displays and fountains.Other categories include generalgiftware, decorative accessories,aromatherapy, greeting cards,paper goods and social stationery,tabletop, destination, resort andtourist merchandise, logo products,shell items, fashion accessories, toysand games, gourmet and jewelry.

Buying or perusing: Buying.Educational sessions: Yes, the

show offers free business-build-ing, educational seminars to allregistered buyers. Previous semi-nars include Gift Basket Businessand Design, Merchandising andRetail Tips. Industry consultants,owners and authors are just someof the types of people who willspeak at the Orlando Gift Show.

SEATTLE GIFT SHOWSeattle, Wash.www.seattlegift.comMission/Background: The

Seattle Gift Show is the largesttrade event in the PacificNorthwest and British Columbia.It began in 1929 in Olympia with15 exhibiting companies and hascurrently expanded to theWashington State Convention &Trade Center with more than 890exhibiting companies, represent-ing more than 1,400 booths, witha bi-annual attendance of approx-imately 13,500 retail buyers.

Visit us in our Atlanta Showroom AmericasMart• The Gardens® 14th floor (A) Booth 124-125

Sunkissed Seasons ™

Articles Creative Products, Inc.2742 Barney Court, McHenry IL 6005124-Hour FAX Ordering: 847-740-7150Contact us: (In Illinois) Call: 847-546-5144(Outside Illinois) Toll Free: 866-SUN-5144Visit us at sunkissedseasons.com

A delightfully innovative collection of hand-crafted kinetic home & garden accents. Each product is made with an emphasis on high

quality materials and designed with durability and longevity in mind.

Write in 755

When: Held twice yearly at theend of January and August.

Registration: It is free of chargefor credentialed attendees in theretail buying trade — it is a busi-ness-only event.

Sponsors: Exclusively produced

Target markets: Attendees arestoreowners, managers, professionalbuyers from independent stores/boutiques, department stores, phar-macies, nurseries/garden centers,Internet companies, catalogs, cruiselines, resort areas, etc. ➧

and managed by WesternExhibitors, LLC, with two divi-sions (Handmade and PersonalStyle) managed by George LittleManagement, LLC.

Attendance: Approximately13,500 each show cycle.

M A N A G E M E N T

M A R C H 2 0 0 5 L A W N & G A R D E N R E T A I L E R 2 7

Geographical region of attendees:Mostly the Pacific Northwest —Washington, Oregon, BritishColumbia, Alaska, Idaho, Montana,Wyoming and far NorthernCalifornia.

Dedicated floor space: 140,000net sq.ft.

Show vendors: 12 product divi-sions are exhibited:

• At Home — home furnishings,home décor and home accessories.

• Cash & Carry — featuringgeneral gift items, fashion jewelry,personal accessories and ethnicmerchandise.

• FoodFocus — specialty fooditems, including candies, confec-

tions, coffee, teas, oils and vine-gars, etc.

• GardenStyle — a fusion of gar-den accents, floral accessories andfurniture for indoor/outdoor living.

• Gifts & Collectibles — covers awide range of collectibles, ceramicgiftware, toys, party goods, seasonalmerchandise, imported goods, etc.

• Handmade — section featur-ing international and domestic arti-sans and designers and manufac-turers of handmade merchandise.

• Jewelry Vault — a combinationof fine and fashion jewelry andone-of-a-kind object d’art, such asbeads, watches, etc.

• Northwest Directions — sou-venir and resort merchandise,apparel, novelty products and newgift resources both imported anddomestically manufactured with anemphasis on the Northwest buyer.

• Personal Style — a juried divi-sion dedicated to high-end fash-ion jewelry, aromatherapy, bathand body products and personalaccessories.

• Gift/Stationery & TrendMerchandise — a fun and whimsi-cal division with general gift items,stationery, greeting cards, stickers,gift wrappings, writing instruments,home office accessories and muse-um store items.

• Village Arts — a multiculturaldivision featuring products fromvillages around the globe.

• The Vintage Collection — animpressive gathering of vintage,antique and one-of-a-kind items.

Buying or perusing: Buying.Educational sessions: Two sessions

are offered daily for a nominal costand cover a wide range of topics fromweb marketing to visual merchandis-ing, as well as becoming a profitableretailer and hiring staff. Leaders inthe retail industry, many who areretail consultants from around thecountry, present these sessions.

Mackenzie Gaffney is associate editor ofLawn & Garden Retailer. She can bereached by phone at (847) 391-1013 or E-mail at mgaffney@sgcmail.com.

M A N A G E M E N T

2 8 L A W N & G A R D E N R E T A I L E R M A R C H 2 0 0 5

Rock enclosures and water features fromDekorra Products are HDPE vacuum-formedmaking them light and incredibly durable.

Give your customers a fun and easyway to enhance their landscapes!

Hide almost anything! Many sizes andshapes to choose from in two natural colors.

(888) 635-8585www.dekorraproducts.com

“Low Minimum Orders”

Write in 785

Super Bright LED Underwater LightOur LED lights are energy saving light source featuringwater proof, long life, safe low voltage with UL transformer.A new generation light source for water fountain, pond,waterfalls & garden decoration.LED36 - 36 LED bulbs in single color.LED72 – 72 LED bulbs with light controller, you can selectlight in single, multi, or auto changing color. We also carryfountain water outlet LED ring, water pump, Ocean MistMaker & green house humidifier.

Mico Inc.2535 Durfee Ave.,

El Monte, CA 91732

Tel:626-258-2928Fax: 626-258-2955

http://www.oceanmistmaker.com

Write in 815Write in 840

LearnMore!For more information related to this article, go to www.lgrmag.com/lm.cfm/lg030501