May 8, 2014

Global Gift Industry Looks to AmericasMart Atlanta for 2014 Trends

AmericasMart® Atlanta brings the global gift industry together in one time and one place with a landmark presentation of new-to-market products, marketplace innovations and trend-making seminars at The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market® (July 8 – 15, 2014).

“Today’s retailers are looking for unique, design-driven products with a story,” says Mary Sullivan Harper, senior vice president of Leasing for AmericasMart Building 2. “Our dedicated trend experts scour the globe looking for the world’s best gift products for our discerning buyers.”

Expanding the gift universe at AmericasMart is new showrooms debuts and growth among established industry leaders. The Butler Group, Inc., Ganz USA, Primitives by Kathy, Couronne Company, Inc., featuring new product in expanded spaces, are joined by new showrooms including TAG – Trade Associates Group, and many, many more. The full list of new and expanded showrooms will be released leading up to the Market.

The expertly designed gift marketplace allows busy buyers to efficiently explore AmericasMart’s unmatched depth of trend-setting product. The positioning of the GIFT collections – general gifts, home accents, gourmet food and products, housewares, entertaining, tabletop, outdoor living and casual furniture – all in one building encourages buyers to cross over categories to develop a diverse merchandise mix that appeals to their lifestyle-driven, trend-focused customers.

The Building 2 Gift collections locations include:

General Gift: Floors 6-7, 10-18

Home Accents: Floors 10-13

Living and Entertaining: Gifts, Tabletop & Accessories: Floors 8-9

Gourmet & Housewares: Floor 8

Living. Outdoor / Indoor®. The Gardens®: Floors 9-10

Supporting the connectivity of the collections is the new AmericasMart mobile app, available now on Apple iTunes and Google Play. The app revolutionizes the Market experience by making it easier for buyers to discover and explore new and existing exhibitors, categories, lines and products and to make note of Market events and promotions. They can browse exhibitors by floor map or in a list, record favorite lines and categories, and plan, organize and manage Market details to optimize their visit. Supporting the app is free Wi-Fi connectivity throughout AmericasMart’s three-building campus.

The July Market’s renowned speakers schedule also reflects modern buyers’ inspiration with thought leaders from blogs, lifestyle publications, reality television and more presenting engaging learning opportunities.

Highlights of the Market speakers include:

· Sunny Anderson of Food Network’s “The Kitchen” presenting her favorite “eat-clean” recipes in “Keep It Clean and Comfy.”

· Chadwick Boyd of “Lovely and Delicious” blog presenting easy and delicious ways to make vegetables the star of the party in “Entertaining with Vegetables: From Root to Stalk to Tabletop.”

· Kelly Kegans, senior deputy editor of home design for “Better Homes and Gardens,” showcasing a lively look at entertaining today in “Gather ‘Round.”

· Becky Tyre, senior trends editor of “GIFT SHOP Magazine,” sharing tips for improving visual merchandising skills in “50 Store Display Ideas That Move Merchandise.”

The centerpiece of the July Market, AmericasMart’s ICON HONORS 2014 celebrates professional achievements of home and gift retailers, manufacturers, sales agents and service providers at the most important and anticipated night in the gift and home industry. The celebration will be Thursday, July 10 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, just blocks from AmericasMart. For more information, please visit www.AmericasMartIconHonors.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. ICON HONORS, the home and gift industry’s most celebrated recognition program, is produced and staged annually by AmericasMart.

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 visitwww.AmericasMart.com. Follow us @AmericasMartATL or @AtlantaApparel.