Jun 13, 2012

New & Next is Here

What’s new and next in all things Gift moves into the global wholesale spotlight when the world’s single-largest product collection takes the main stage at AmericasMart and The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market in July. With almost 20 new showrooms in the General Gift category alone, AmericasMart sets the pace for summer buying and selling July 11-18 (Home/Gift/Apparel) Temporaries July 13-17 plus Area Rug July 12-15) in thousands of lines and resources, including many making their Atlanta Market debut.

Among the new exhibitors in the General Gift category is Lovelinks America, a Danish purveyor of beads, bracelets, necklaces and earrings, which establishes its first showroom anywhere in Building 2, Floor 16 of AmericasMart. Also new on Floor 16 are Tumbleweed Pottery, which is known for everything from cookware to jars with slogans, and Cupecoy Designs, which produces clocks, picture frames and other home accents.

In the Living and Entertaining: Gifts, Tabletop & Accessories category, WWRD (Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton) – on Floor 9 of Building 2 – is one of four companies with expanded showrooms. Home Trends and Oleg Cassini – both on Floor 8 – are two of six new exhibitors in the category.

Among Home Accents & Gift showrooms, seven have expanded and three are new. Grace Direct, on Floor 10 of Building 2, is doing a major remodel, while Uma Enterprises, specializing in home accents, also on Floor 10, is expanding.

“We want to welcome buyers to our newly expanded Atlanta showroom,” said Naval Bansal, president of UMA Enterprises. “We continue work to upgrade our product line by adding fresh products by the thousands on a regular basis.”

Art Horizons, Inc. and MyScents, both Building 2, Floor 13, and Exotic Recovery, Floor 12, are new exhibitors.

To make it easier than ever for all buyers to navigate the campus and shop the full spectrum of home and gift products, there’s a new corridor on Floor 7 joining Building 2 and Building 2 WestWing. The grand opening is on Thursday, July 12, at 4 p.m. Showrooms throughout the floor expect the broad thoroughfare to facilitate traffic and help buyers discover even more new lines they might have missed in previous markets.

The Living. Outdoor/Indoor. The Gardens. – on Floors 9 and 10 of Building 2 WestWing – has become an integral part of the product mix with lines to enhance any retail environment, especially during gift-giving seasons. Iron to Go and Georgetown Home & Garden are new exhibitors on Floor 9. Woodstream Corporation is among four new exhibitors on Floor 10.

To highlight all the gifting ideas, It’s Christmas Time on 9! takes place at 4 p.m. on Friday, July 13 on Floor 9, and Floor 10 will host A Very Merry Christmas Party at 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 14. While enjoying festive food and drink, buyers will see many great holiday gift offerings. A Kindle will be given away at each party.

The Floor 8 Demonstration Kitchen in Building 2 WestWing continues to be a hub of excitement as a showcase for a continually growing collection of lines. Gourmet & Housewares is ahead of the trend as an integrated product center dedicated to helping retailers meet consumer demand for a wide variety of high-profile products. As always, AmericasMart welcomes some of the top names in the country to demonstrate the latest, greatest ways to capitalize on the popularity of cooking and entertaining. The Demonstration Kitchen will be glowing throughout the market – including appearances by uber-popular Daphne Oz and Curtis Stone.
· Daphne Oz’s Summer Favorites: Dishes with a Skinny Twist, Friday, July 13, 12-1 p.m. Daphne Oz of ABC’s “The Chew,” shares her favorite summer recipes that will keep fans feeling great. Oz, author and healthy cooking guru, shares some of the tips she’s picked up from Dr. Mehmet Oz, her father. A book sale and signing will follow.
· Le Creuset, Marseille and Virginia Willis Together in the Kitchen, Friday, July 13, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Chef Virginia Willis shares simple-is-best techniques with tips and recipes. Her renowned knack for giving classic French dishes a homey Southern feel will be on full display. There’ll be one-pot cooking, in Le Creuset.
· Mix It Up with Margaritas, Mangoes and Mocha Mousse: All the Ingredients to Host a Festive Fiesta!, Saturday, July 14, 12-1 p.m. Coton Colors – designer and manufacturer of colorful pottery and creative giftware – sponsors cooking of favorites from “The Happy Everything Cookbook,” which should be the perfect amount of spice for a tangy event.
· Curtis Stone: Cook ∙ Create ∙ Celebrate, Saturday, July 14, 2-3 p.m.

Chef Curtis Stone of TLC’s “Take Home Chef” and Host of Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters” will discuss his simple secrets to creating a great meal. He believes in utilizing fresh ingredients and basic recipes.

Speaking of cooking, Kosher food will be available. The Kosher Gourmet will be located at Building 2, Floor 6 in the escalator landing, Thursday, July 12 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Then, on Friday, July 13 through Monday, July 16 – excluding Saturday – hours will be 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A full spectrum of special seminars is always part of an AmericasMart Market experience. For example, Patricia Norins, CEO/publisher of Pinnacle Publishing Group, Inc., discusses effective grass roots marketing strategies to increase traffic and sales. Norins will talk about more than 80 marketing ideas to help build stronger relationships with customers and increase store traffic on Thursday, July 12, 2-3 p.m., Building 2, Floor 9, Seminar Room.

And, not to be missed, Julie Kenney shares her Top 10 indoor/outdoor gift picks at Building 2 WestWing, Floor 10, Seminar Room. Kenney shares ideas about how to boost fall and holiday profits from 3-4 p.m. on Friday, July 13.

A complete list of Market seminars and events is available at www.AmericasMart.com.

About AmericasMart
AmericasMart Atlanta is the nation’s only global wholesale marketplace housing the world’s single-largest collection of home, gift, area rug and apparel merchandise. The largest of AmericasMart’s 14 annual Markets and shows, The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market and The Atlanta International Area Rug Market in January and July are the ignition switch for global retailing with buyers from every U.S. state and more than 90 countries discovering product in more than 1,400 showrooms and more than 2,500 temporary exhibiting companies. Located in downtown Atlanta, the AmericasMart complex contains more than seven million square feet of space. It’s a huge global stage on which manufacturers, designers and sales representatives unveil new lines, launch new designs and introduce new categories – all for the benefit of buyers seeking all that is fresh and first in the home, rug, gift and apparel arenas. For more information, please visit www.AmericasMart.com.