Emerald’s Affordable Shopping Destination (ASD) Market Week is aiming to enhance the experience for buyers and exhibitors alike at its upcoming event scheduled for March 10-13 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

This includes new exhibit halls and a broader focus on product discovery, networking and industry education with two seminar series offered to the more than 30,000 attendees expected at the show. Attendance at the four-day event, including access to all exhibit halls and educational seminars, is free for wholesale buyers who represent retailers, e-tailers, importers and distributors of all sizes and across a variety of store types.

“Because today’s consumers are increasingly focused on value, while demanding a wide variety of product choices, ASD Market Week is strategically focused on helping retailers meet the trending needs of their customers,” said Karalynn Sprouse, executive vice president of Emerald. “Ours is the only event of this scale and scope where retailers can connect with such a large, diversified group of global wholesale suppliers in one place to source virtually all their inventory at the best prices possible. And the enhancements we’re making to our upcoming event will make the ASD experience better than ever for buyers and suppliers alike.”

Wholesale buying experience

Attendees and exhibitors will benefit from these enhancements and features at ASD Market Week:

New Exhibit Halls: The trade show floor will now take place in the Las Vegas Convention Center Central, South Lower and South Upper Halls to accommodate more than 1,800 exhibitors offering more than one million unique products across 19 categories. A new floor plan was designed to maximize product discovery, cross-product category shopping, ensure a seamless on-site experience, and provide additional time-saving transportation options.

Buyer Navigation and Neighborhoods: To help buyers more easily navigate the numerous product categories within three exhibit halls, ASD Market Week trade show space will be organized into nine “neighborhoods.” Digital guides tailored for each neighborhood help connect buyers and exhibitors and provide tips on how to shop for products while fostering a more efficient onsite buying experience.

Buying Groups: A variety of store types, including independent retailers, chain stores, ecommerce, convenience stores, and others, will be represented by some of the largest wholesale buying groups. These include: ALGO, dd’s Discount, Big Lots, Variety Stores, Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill, pOpshelf, Association of Mail and Business Centers (AMBC), SouthWest Buying Group, and more.

SourceDirect: Located within ASD Market Week, SourceDirect provides expanded opportunities for sourcing products from global suppliers and manufacturers including, China, India, France, South Korea, Turkey, and many more.

Private Label Opportunities: More than half of ASD attendees are interested in the value of private label products and ASD Market Week is one of the largest destinations for global private label merchandise offered by exhibitors throughout the show and across multiple product categories.

Show Floor Happenings: These include free items for attendees from the ASD Swag Store, Louis Vuitton daily giveaways, complimentary headshots, exhibitor booth makeover prize/awards, numerous lounges, show floor experiences, various happy hours, the official ASD After Party at Tao Group’s Omnia Nightclub, and more.

Expanded education

ASD Market Week will offer two separate onsite educational series in addition to the show’s ongoing podcast.

ASD Market Week Educational Series: Industry leaders such as Nice Find Wholesale, Retail Minded, Gild Creative, and Boutique Training Academy will be featured in this series to offer numerous daily sessions with valuable expert viewpoints and guidance on trending topics ranging from closeouts, liquidations, and ecommerce to digital marketing, logistics, and merchandising.

SourceDirect Educational Series: This series is dedicated to helping attendees learn about sourcing products internationally and optimize their experience while sourcing products and inventory onsite from the hundreds of global manufacturers and suppliers offering gift, home, toy, beauty, apparel, fashion accessories, private label, general merchandise, and more.

Let’s Talk a Little Shop Podcast: This ongoing podcast features multiple episodes with noted industry experts on the most important industry topics and trends that include the impact of AI on shaping digital retail marketing, creating successful brands, hiring trends, building successful live events, digital merchandising, and more.