Significant Attendance Increase, Brisk Order-Writing Headline February 2012 Edition of San Francisco International Gift Fair
Trending upward since its 2009 acquisition by Urban Expositions, attendance at the February 18-21, 2012 edition of the San Francisco International Gift Fair at Moscone Center reached its highest level to date under the new management team. Exhibitor reports of steady order-writing and new accounts, coupled with buyer feedback on the expanded selection, new resources and overall show upgrades, created an optimistic, upbeat atmosphere on the show floor.
Urban Expositions acquired the San Francisco International Gift Fair from dmg world media in 2009, with the ownership transition taking place immediately following the August 2009 edition of the semi-annual show.
“We’ve focused tremendous effort on rebuilding and enhancing the San Francisco show and it’s rewarding to see the steady progress,” says Doug Miller, president, Urban Expositions. “We’ve worked to bring back vendors who had left over the years, added new lines and categories like our new Tabletop, Gourmet & Housewares section, significantly expanded our marketing outreach, and are planning even more new initiatives and promotions that promise to keep the momentum going.”
Among the newest initiatives was the debut of the Tabletop, Gourmet & Housewares section featuring cookware/bakeware, kitchen gadgets, specialty food, small electrics and tabletop accessories. In addition to expanding this category’s offerings on the show floor, Urban Expositions also built a number of events and programs around the section. Among them, Urban expanded its full scale show seminar series to include a special program for wineries led by Beverly Armstrong on the effectiveness of merchandise sales in a winery tasting room. Special guest appearances and cookbook signings by leading bay area chefs were also part of the line up with Andrea Froncillo of The Franciscan Crab Restaurant, The Stinking Rose, Bobo’s, The Dead Fish, Calzones, and Crab House at Pier 39 and Mitch Rosenthal of Town Hall, Salt House and Anchor & Hope.
The San Francisco International Gift Fair exceeded my expectations,” said Chris Lundgren, The Lundgren Group. “Our participation allowed us to showcase our vendors to many new and existing customers and the amount of leads generated will keep us busy for weeks to come.”
In addition to the new Tabletop, Gourmet & Housewares section, the Urban Expositions sales team has continued to expand the exhibitor base with each successive show. The February 2012 edition brought together more than 650 companies representing thousands of lines conveniently categorized in 11 product sectors on the show floor. In addition to the new Tabletop, Gourmet & Housewares section, buyers could also explore offerings in Gifts & Collectibles, World Style Handcrafted, Museum, Village Arts, Design, Home & Garden, Handcrafted, Personal Style, Vintage Collection and Treasures to Go.
From specialty and department stores to wineries, resorts, and chain stores to buying groups and associations like the Museum Stores Association (MSA), California Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (CAHHS) and the Frontier Duty Free Association, the numbers and types of buyers attending the show keep growing. And, feedback from these retailers was overwhelmingly positive about the selection and size of the February 2012 show’s exhibitor base.
“The San Francisco International Gift Fair just keeps getting better with each successive show, attracting more and more high quality vendors,” said Jeri Webb, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL. “A number of my regular vendors have started showing here too and they are loving it.”
“The quality of merchandise was the best I have seen in many years,” added Gaye Scott, Virginia Mason Gift Shop, Seattle, WA.
“I’m very impressed by the depth and diversity of the lines on display at the San Francisco International Gift Fair,” said Ann Conlin, Connor Hotel Shop, Gerome, AZ. “We found fun and exciting new lines and enjoyed placing orders with our current vendors too. I can’t wait to see what’s on offer this summer.”
Looking forward, Urban Expositions has already begun working on programs and promotions for the August 4-7, 2012 edition. Plans call for further expansion of the new Tabletop, Gourmet & Housewares section to coincide with the buying season for this industry; continued growth of the exhibitor roster and show categories; and expanded marketing efforts to and enhanced buyer service offerings for retailers throughout the show’s key trading areas of Northern California, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and Utah.
For more information on the San Francisco International Gift Fair, visit www.sfigf.com or call 800.318.2238 or 678.285.3976.
ABOUT URBAN EXPOSITIONS
Urban Expositions is the largest gift and souvenir trade show organizer in the U.S., hosting a total of 24 shows each year. In January of 1996, Urban Expositions launched the semi-annual Philadelphia Gift Show, which has become one of the largest and most successful regional gift events in the nation. Since then, the company has continued to grow through acquisitions and new show development. Based in Kennesaw, GA, Urban Expositions offers a complete roster of trade show management services, including exhibit sales and marketing, operations, exhibitor/ attendee promotions and services, media relations, seminar and event coordination, database development and management. For more information, visit www.urban-expo.com or call 800.318.2238.
