Three buying groups – The Good Toy Group, HTI Buying Group and ZAG (Zoo, Aquarium & Garden Buying Group) – will gather for the first time at The Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market in January 2020. They are part of the 20 buying groups and associations who will have a presence at the market.

“We are honored to be a part of the buying experience for the member-based industry organizations who do business at The Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market,” said Dorothy Belshaw, chief marketing and digital officer for IMC. “We wholeheartedly support the mission of our industry partners and look forward to welcoming both newcomers and longtime attendees to Atlanta this January.”

IMC works with each of these groups to customize a program for its members who are attending the market.  ZAG, which represents buyers for more than 300 zoos, aquariums and other wildlife-related institutions and attractions, hosts a board meeting and member cocktail reception. HTI, which has 125+ gourmet and housewares retailer members, presents training to representatives attending market. The Good Toy Group, which represents 100+ toy retailers with 180 store locations across the U.S. and Canada, hosts a meeting for members who will shop the market together.

“The January Atlanta market is one of the most important shows all year,” said Heather Smith, strategy and membership director for The Good Toy Group. “Our toy buyers will see 2020 product for the first time, and we will deeply study trends and key themes happening all across the retail sector. Our membership also will spend time connecting and sharing valuable intelligence to keep our buying group vibrant and thriving, serving children everywhere.”

This January, longtime industry partner Hospital Gift Shops (HGS) will open its educational programming to all healthcare buyers shopping the market. Its seminar “Best Practices for Hospital Gift Shops: Small, Medium and Large” is on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 1 p.m.

Other buying group and association events include member breakfasts for HGS and the Museum Store Association; meetings for Canadian Garden Group, ECGC Distributors, Hallmark, Parable and The Presenter Network; vendor forums for Gourmet Catalog, Purchasing Power Plus and Southwest Buying Group (SWBG); and hospitality rooms for True Value/Home Garden and Wild Birds Unlimited.

The Greeting Card Association (GCA) presents a meeting and banquet for members. Monograms America hosts a banquet plus a vendor forum and daily hospitality. Members of North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA) will gather for breakfasts, cocktails and daily hospitality.  Palmer Marketing plans a breakfast and daily hospitality. Members of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Georgia Chapter will gather, network and work on projects in the Commercial Design workspace in Building 1.

For the Winter 2020 staging of The Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market, showrooms are open Tuesday, Jan. 14-21, 2020 and temporaries are open Wednesday, Jan. 15-19.  For more information, visit, AmericasMart.com.