Jun 22, 2012

NYIGF’s Baby & Child Relocates and Changes Date Pattern

To increase category synergy between related product divisions, Baby & Child at the New York International Gift Fair® (NYIGF®) will move to a new location – Hall 1D in New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center – and will shift its opening and closing dates to a Sunday-through-Wednesday pattern. For the summer 2012 market, which runs August 19-22, an influx of 30 new exhibitors will also join the juried collection of nearly 150 suppliers offering sophisticated and purpose-driven products for children 0-10 years.

According to Randi Mohr, Baby & Child sales manager, “The division’s new adjacency to NYIGF’s General Gift division will make it easier and more efficient for retailers to source and shop related product categories.” Baby & Child exhibitors showcase arts and crafts, books, music, toys, games, puzzles, dolls and plush, gear (diaper bags, stroller accessories and feeding accessories), wearables and accessories, layette, bedding accessories and blankets.

Newcomers to the summer 2012 edition of Baby & Child include: Aden + Anais (swaddles and assorted infant & toddler muslin items); Beansie Enterprises LLC (books); Beyond123 (toys and games); Black Eyed Guy (clothing, décor, books); Box Play For Kids (eco-friendly activity kits); FouFou Baby (blanket plush toy); Good Seeds (dinnerware, bibs and smocks, aprons and chef hats); Grass & Clovers (handmade onesies, room décor and gifts); Grow Studio (activity kits, doll houses and accessories); Home Grown Books (books); Lollacup (sippy cups); Lucky Baby World (baby carrier); Mae Pty (fabric decals, organic bedding, melamine dinnerware); Monerias (hair accessories); Pipopipo (sock gift packs and apparel); Plan Toys (sustainable toys); Sea Urchin Studio (art work and illustrated paper goods for children); and WorryWoos (books and corresponding stuffed animals).

Several other companies also are returning to Baby & Child, following an absence from the New York market. These exhibitors include: Bumkins (bibs, accessories, apparel); Lilliputiens (educational soft toys); Loralin Collection (gift sets, clothes, dolls, journals and jewelry); MK & Company (art, keepsake boxes, photo albums, baby books); and Wee Gallery (art, mobiles, wall graphics, greeting cards and accessories).

These new exhibitors will join a key group of Baby & Child charter exhibitors: 3 Sprouts, Angel Dear, Cloud B, eeBoo, Kid O, Manhattan Toy, Trumpette, Wry Baby, Zoocchini and Zutano. Other leading brands exhibiting in Baby & Child include BabyLegs, Geared For Imagination, HaPe Int’l and Little Giraffe.

Beyond exhibits, NYIGF will present a number of events and seminars geared specifically toward juvenile product buyers and suppliers. On Sunday, August 19, from 4:00 to 5:00PM, Earnshaw’s will host an afternoon snack in the Baby & Child aisles. Attendees are invited to enjoy a free frozen lemonade treat while browsing and shopping.

Kids Today will host “Consumer Product Safety Commission: Make Sure Your Business Complies!” on Tuesday, August 21, from 8:30 to 9:30AM, at the Javits Center. This session, presented by Neal Cohen, Small Business Ombudsman with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, will provide a practical overview on how to comply with U.S. consumer product safety requirements for children’s products, and the rights and responsibilities of manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Tickets, which are $20 in advance and $25 onsite, are available online at www.nyigf.com/programs.

Additionally, innovation in juvenile product design will be recognized through the Baby & Child Best New Product Awards. A special display of new product introductions will be judged by editors from trade publications and leading blogs, and finalists and winners will be recognized in four categories: gear, décor, toys and apparel. A special “Blogger’s Best” distinction also will be presented to one product.

NYIGF is the nation’s premier gift, home and lifestyle marketplace, with 2,800+ exhibiting companies featuring an extraordinary breadth and depth of design-driven home fashion products and complementary giftware. The summer market takes place Saturday, August 18, through Wednesday, August 22, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Passenger Ship Terminal Piers 92 and 94. Some 35,000 attendees from all 50 states and more than 80 countries worldwide are expected. Information and registration is available online at www.nyigf.com.