May 17, 2007

Gift and Home Resources Expand for August 2007 New York International Gift Fair

White Plains, NY – Expansion of gift and home resources – across several key divisions – will make the 153rd semi-annual New York International Gift Fair a “must attend” market, Saturday, August 11, through Thursday, August 16, 2007, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Passenger Ship Terminal Piers, and the Metropolitan Pavilion. Highlights include a return to the staggered opening/closing date pattern; continued expansion of Just Kidstuff and The Museum Source resources within the General Gift division; addition of New York’s Newest to the summer market; expansion of home fashion resources within At Home. In addition to these Gift Fair offerings, New York City also will host two synergistic markets – EX∑TRACTS: New discoveries in beauty and wellness and New York Home Textiles Market Week – and an awards event for the gift and home industry – during the summer 2007 market.

“For gift and home retailers, this will be THE week to be in New York,” said Dorothy Belshaw, NYIGF Director and GLM senior vice president, “No other market offers such impressive synergy and breadth of related lifestyle resources. No other venue presents such a dynamic mix of innovative home and gift product collections.” The Gift Fair will present a total of 2,700 exhibitors from 23 countries in nine divisions, and is expected to attract some 43,000 attendees from all 50 states and 75 countries.

The increased depth and breadth of luxury home fashions will be most evident in the At Home division, where some 100 high-end bed, bath, linen and home accessories will be coalesced at the Javits Center. With the integration of the New York Home Textiles Show into the NYIGF, At Home’s offerings will include additional bed and bath fashions, table linens, kitchen textiles, towels, decorative accessories, area rugs, window treatments and decorative fabrics. At Home, presented at both the Javits Center and Passenger Ship Terminal Pier 94, will now feature some 470 companies presenting the full range of home products, including furniture, floor coverings, wall art, lighting, decorative accessories and a full range of home fashion products.

The Fair’s expansion of home fashion resources will be underscored by the launch of New York Home Textiles Market Week – a semi-annual market for mid-to-high-end home textiles produced cooperatively by George Little Management, LLC (GLM), 230 Fifth Avenue, and 7 W New York. Together, the three venues will showcase nearly 500 bed, bath, linen and home accessories resources.

Just Kidstuff and The Museum Source feature areas both will nearly double in size, through the introduction of new companies, expansion of returning exhibitors, and the amassing of related resources in one convenient area within the General Gift division. The Museum Source now will feature some 55 companies and Just Kidstuff more than 40 companies. Two events on Monday, August 13 – a special pre-show museum buyer networking breakfast and an “afternoon snack” within the Just Kidstuff aisles – will extend the networking opportunities for attendees.

GLM also has increased the frequency of New York’s Newest – the launching pad for companies new to the Gift Fair – to semi-annual from annual. The August 2007 edition of New York’s Newest will feature 100 companies, showcasing products across the gift and home spectrum, at the Metropolitan Pavilion.

Beyond exhibits, New York City will host, and GLM will sponsor, the Retailer Excellence Awards (REA) hosted by Gifts and Decorative Accessories magazine on Sunday, August 12, at Tavern on the Green. These prestigious awards recognize achievement in 8 retail categories as well as 2 categories for industry-wide excellence. Tickets, which cost $150, including cocktails, dinner and the awards, are available online at giftsanddec.com.

GLM also will present a series of educational seminars – addressing trends, retail challenges and strategies for success – for buyers attending the Gift Fair. Notable among these are SustainAbility: Design for a Better World, a curated exhibit and educational seminar showcasing environmentally and socially responsible products and producers; Extreme Makeover: Retail Edition, presented by Mary Liz Curtin and sponsored by the Gift & Home Trade Association; TrendWatch Live! NYC presented by the Trend Curve’s Michelle Lamb and sponsored by Accessory Merchandising; Psychology of Color sponsored by IFDA (International Furnishings & Design Association); and a three-part retail success series addressing selling, staffing and service strategies. Additional information and registration is available online at nyigf.com.

And, this August, as part of its popular “A Night on Broadway,” GLM will offer tickets, specially priced at $80 for the Tuesday, August 14, 7pm performance of Curtains, a savagely funny new musical comedy, starring four-time Emmy Award-winner David Hyde Pierce (Frasier, Spamalot) and Tony Award-winner Debra Monk (Redwood Curtain, Steel Pier, NYPD Blue) and featuring a show-stopping score by the team of John Kander & Fred Ebb, the Tony Award-winning songwriters of such hits as Chicago, Cabaret and “New York, New York.” To purchase tickets, visit nyigf.com.

Gift Fair locations and divisions will return to traditional staggered opening and closing dates in August. On Saturday, August 11, Handmade at the Javits Center and three divisions (At Home, New & Distinctive Resources and Floral & Garden Accessories featuring Outdoor Living) at the Passenger Ship Terminal Piers will open. All other Javits Center divisions, as well as New York’s Newest at the Metropolitan Pavilion, will open on Sunday, August 12. (Note: Complete details about division opening/closing dates, and show hours at each venue, are listed below.)

Once again, EX∑TRACTS: New discoveries in beauty and wellness will be co-located with the New York International Gift Fair, offering retailers access to nearly 100 innovative and emerging personal care resources. EX∑TRACTS will run Sunday, August 12, through Wednesday, August 15, at the Metropolitan Pavilion, alongside the Gift Fair’s New York’s Newest division.

The New York International Gift Fair is produced and managed by George Little Management, LLC. Featuring 2,700 exhibitors in nearly 600,000 net square feet of exhibit space, the Gift Fair includes Accent on Design, At Home, Floral & Garden Accessories featuring Outdoor Living,General Gift featuring Just Kidstuff and The Museum Source, Handmade, New & Distinctive Resources, New York’s Newest, Personal Accessories featuring Detailsand Tabletop & Housewares.

For exhibitor information, contact Allison Rober, administrative manager, at (914) 421-3271, or allison_rober@glmshows.com. For attendee information, contact GLM’s Customer Service Department at 1-800-272-SHOW (7469), or (603) 665-7524, or visit nyigf.com. For travel and hotel assistance, contact Travel Planners, Inc., a 1-800-221-3531, or (212) 532-1660, or webres@tphousing.com.