Jul 25, 2013

‘Urban” Renewal Continues for California Gift Show

The second edition of the California Gift Show under Urban Expositions management experienced a notable uptick in attendance over the summer 2012 edition, along with positive comments from attendees and steady order-writing from exhibitors. Together with an expanded exhibitor base comprised of vendors returning after a long absence, as well as many first-time and established exhibitors, the July 19-22, 2013 edition at the Los Angeles Convention Center showed signs of continued growth and renewed industry interest.

“There is little question that rebuilding takes time, but the July edition gave every indication that we’re heading in the right direction with our plans to bring the California Gift Show back to its former position as a leading product and trend resource,” said Doug Miller, president, Urban Expositions.

The July edition was approximately 38 percent larger than the summer 2012 edition, with a marked increase over the January 2013 edition as well. Vendors were conveniently categorized into sectors, including Gifts, Design LA, Handcrafted, Boardwalk, Personal Style, Jewelry (Cash & Carry) Vintage, World Style, as well as many Fair Trade resources.

Feedback from retailers on the show’s recent growth, as well as the overall improvement and upgrade to the product/line selection, was especially positive.

“I’m encouraged by the revitalization of this wholesale experience,” noted Barbara Savage, Lewis & Clark, Santa Barbara, CA. “I found many useful new products for my business.”

“The California Gift Show looks better and better,” added Mary Liz Curtin, co-owner, Leon & Lulu, Clawson, MI. “The fair trade, vintage and handcrafted selection is especially interesting and unusual – with many well-priced designs that offer excellent margins.”

“The July California Gift Show exposed me to a number of new vendors, and that was definitely worth the trip to LA,” said Natalie Davis, Hudson Group, East Rutherford, NC.

In addition to an expanded product selection, retailers had the chance to take advantage of a full roster of buyer services during the July show. Among them, significant travel savings at area hotels, free parking at the Convention Center, free buyer seminars, show specials, the “Launching Pad” product preview merchandise display in the lobby and a new free app that was available for download– putting the show’s exhibitors, lines, categories, events and more at their fingertips.

In addition, Urban Expositions worked with the management of the LA Mart to once again co-host “LA Gift & Home Market Week.” To maximize convenience for show attendees, the two venues honored each other’s admission badges and provided continuous shuttle service between each location.

The show’s growing selection and services continued to attract more retailers, resulting in a significant increase in attendance over the summer 2012 edition. Floor traffic, along with reports of steady business from many exhibitors, helped create an upbeat mood on the show floor.

“We’ve been exhibiting in the California Gift Show for seven years now and since Urban took over, we’ve seen extreme growth in our show business,” said David Evey, Zensual, Inc, Beverly Hills, CA. “We had great traffic this July, with a lot of order-writing – 70% of which was new business for us.”

“We haven’t done this show in many years, but I’m so happy we decided to try it again this July,” adds Corey Blyth, Buddha Board, Vancouver, Canada. “We have a number of new accounts in the Los Angeles area and are very satisfied with the amount of orders we received during the show.”

“We’re very excited about the new and improved show,” said Dana Herbert, Dana Herbert Accessories, Portland, OR. “We had many repeat buyers from January, as well as new accounts, including some big museums from Texas.”

The next edition of the California Gift Show is scheduled for January 31 – February 3, 2014

EXHIBITOR/ATTENDEE INFORMATION

Visit www.californiagiftshow.com for the latest show news. For more information on exhibiting, contact Dirk von Gal at 678.370. 0345 or dvongal@urban-expo.com. For information on attending, contact Briana Mackey at 678.831.4573 or bmackey@urban-expo.com or Jhana Jordan at 678.370.0338 or jjordan@urban-expo.com.

ABOUT URBAN EXPOSITIONS

Urban Expositions is the largest gift, airport and souvenir trade show organizer in the U.S., hosting a total of 29 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.