Oct 27, 2011

January Holiday & Home Expo to Offer $15,000 in Cash Giveaways

Holiday & Home Expo®, the nation’s only tradeshow devoted exclusively to permanent floral, seasonal décor and related decorative accessories, will offer thousands of new Christmas products as well as seminars and walking tours and more than $15,000 in cash prizes. The show is set for January 18-24, 2012 at Dallas Market Center, the world’s most complete wholesale marketplace. Holiday & Home Expo will run in conjunction with the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market (January 18-24). Holiday & Home Expo Temporaries will run January 19-22.

To enter the drawing for the $10,000 grand prize, $3,000 second prize and $2,000 third prize, buyers must visit 10 participating Holiday & Decorative Association (HDA) exhibiting showrooms/booths. Entry forms may be picked up at the HDA table in the lobby of the International Trade Plaza (The Plaza). The drawing will be 6 p.m. Saturday, January 21. Contestants must be present to win. Buyers can also enter daily drawings for $250 or Market Money showroom gift certificates by showing purchase orders from HDA members.

Wholesale Glass Vases International (WGV International), 1F446, is a new exhibitor for January. The company offers quality glass vases handmade by industry professionals for florists and special event professionals. Products range from glass candle holders to block glass vases as well as cube, cylinder and ginger jar vases.

Nancy Clarke, former chief floral designer for The White House, will present “Christmas in the White House: My 30 Years” at noon Saturday, January 21, in the Seasons Gallery, The Plaza. For three decades, Mrs. Clarke designed the flowers and decorations for six Presidential administrations, from state dinners honoring world leaders and dignitaries to creating the spectacular flower displays and decorations for every White House Christmas. In this session, she shares her remarkable life in the White House creating holiday festivities while working with Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan and Rosalynn Carter. Following her program, she will sign her book, “My First Ladies” in which she reveals the behind-the-scenes story of helping each First Lady find her own personal style.

Carol Caggiano AIFD, PFCI will present “Mistletoe & Holly,” a Christmas design program at 5 p.m. Thursday, January 19 in the Seasons Gallery, The Plaza. J M.H. Schwanke AIFD, PFCI, AAF will lead three walking tours: “J’s Top Picks for Christmas” at 11 a.m. Thursday, January 19; “Display & Merchandising” at 11 a.m. Friday, January 20 and “Colors & Trendspotting” at 11 a.m. Saturday, January 21. 

Dallas Market Center will also present “Digital Day” on Friday, January 20 during the Market. Classes will be held in the Internet Lounge, Room #147-A, World Trade Center 1st floor, behind Starbucks. During this full day of educational sessions, digital marketing experts will teach the ins-and-outs of marketing tools including social media, email marketing, website optimization and more. InStore LIVE! and WhizBang! Training will present Retail Boot Camp: “How to Make 2012 Your Best Year Ever,” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, January 18 in Seminar Suite #554, World Trade Center. Retail Expert Bob Negen will get buyers fired up with the tools, tactics and techniques for increasing sales and profits. Cost is $99. Buyers may register by calling WhizBang! Training toll free at 800-842-1660 or going to www.whizbangtraining.com/bootcamp.

Exhibitors will feature thousands of new Christmas products – Christmas trees, tree skirts and toppers, ornaments, collectibles, wreaths and swags, garlands, berries and branches, containers and baskets, textiles, tabletop, topiaries, pre-made arrangements, holiday lighting, outdoor décor, Christmas collectibles and novelties, packaging and trim, ribbon, oversized commercial décor and display props as well as permanent botanicals, foliage and trees.

Holiday & Home Expo features exhibits in The Plaza as well as additional showrooms in the adjoining World Trade Center and Trade Mart. Showrooms will be open 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., with participating showrooms offering extended hours until 8 p.m. on Friday.

A complete list of all special events and seminars can be found on the Dallas Market Center website. Also, to keep up-to-date on market information by visiting Dallas Market Center on Facebook and Twitter. Attendees may contact the Dallas Market Center in-house travel agency, Market Travel®, for substantial travel and hotel discounts by calling 1-800-DAL-MKTS.

About Dallas Market Center
Founded in 1957, Dallas Market Center is the world’s most complete wholesale marketplace. Within its marketplace of nearly seven million square feet, retailers from around the globe source products ranging from home furnishings, gifts, decorative accessories and lighting to textiles, fashion accessories and men’s, western, women’s and children’s apparel. With more than 50 markets each year attended by more than 200,000 retail buyers from all 50 states and 78 countries, Dallas Market Center offers hundreds of events and seminars geared toward helping retailers expand business and increase profits. As a result, more than $8 billion in estimated wholesale transactions are conducted annually within the Dallas Market Center complex. The website is available at www.dallasmarketcenter.com.