Dec 11, 2007

Winter NYIGF 2008 Introduces Exciting Changes & Improvements

White Plains, NY – Change is in the air! The Winter 2008 New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF), will feature new and enhanced offerings, refined product categories and more than 1,000 companies with new booth locations during the 154th semi-annual event, February 1-6, 2008, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Metropolitan Pavilion and Passenger Ship Terminal Piers 92 & 94.

“The gift and home industry is dynamic, always changing. The New York International Gift Fair must mirror that dynamism to remain relevant to buyers,” said Dorothy Belshaw, GLM senior vice president and NYIGF director. “We are enhancing and improving the Fair by adding new divisions and refining and repositioning existing divisions to re-focus the Fair’s breadth of resources and allow for easy cross-category buying . To accomplish this, more than 1,000 of our 2,700 exhibiting companies have changed their booth locations, and we have added hundreds of newcomers to the mix.”

“We encourage NYIGF visitors to use our advance planning tools – accessible online at www.nyigf.com/search – to preview these major improvements, find favorite exhibitors and identify hundreds of new ones,” said Belshaw. These pre-planning tools include the Online Directory (searchable by company name, NYIGF division, product category, keyword and more); BD Metrics’ “My NY Market,” which can help customize an itinerary by product preference; and Active Merchandiser’s Catalog Search featuring hundreds of products catalogued by company name in an easy to search format.

CHANGES, REORGANIZATIONS AND DIVISIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

NYIGF will add new divisions and showcase areas, and will refine existing categories through a strategic reorganization of existing divisions and exhibitors. These changes will benefit buyers by facilitating shopping, and presenting more cross-merchandising opportunities. Highlights include:

• Expansion of the At Home division to feature hardlines at both Piers 92 and 94; and a concentration of soft goods, and better home textiles at the Javits Center.
• Growth of New York’s Newest – the launching pad for companies new to NYIGF – to three levels at the Metropolitan Pavilion.
• Expansion and repositioning of the Details showcase to feature fashion-forward companies, within the NYIGF’s Personal Accessories division.
• Launch of a trend-forward, lifestyle division, StudioTM, a showcase for inspired lifestyle merchandise across a broad range of categories, focusing on style trends and fresh aesthetics at Pier 92.
• Introduction of “A+ the young designer’s platform” within Accent on Design, spotlighting emerging design talents, inspiration and ideas.
• Launch of “Handmade in the USAtm” within Handmade showcasing American-made products.
• Addition of a new Floral & Garden Accessories focus area within General Gift to complement the two existing product “neighborhoods” – Just Kidstuff and The Museum Source.
• Integration of EX*TRACTS: New discoveries in beauty and wellness into the Javits Center, featuring new exhibitors and more resources.
• Introduction of “Accent on Tabletop,” a concentration of design-driven companies bridging Accent on Design and Tabletop & Housewares to showcase more luxury tabletop and home entertaining products.

NEW OPENING DATES

This Winter, the NYIGF will have two opening days – Friday, February 1, and Saturday, February 2. Friday openings are At Home and Studio at Pier 92, At Home at Pier 94 and Handmade at the Javits Center – representing more than 1,000 companies. Saturday openings are New York’s Newest at the Metropolitan Pavilion and all other divisions at the Javits Center. A complete schedule of division opening and closing dates is available online at nyigf.com.

NYIGF is the nation’s premier gift and home accessory marketplace, with 2,700+ exhibitors featuring an extraordinary breadth and depth of design-driven home fashion products and complementary giftware. NYIGF is held concurrently with EXTRACTS at the Javits Center and Home Textiles Market Week at the Javits Center and Pier 94, 230 Fifth Avenue and 7 West 34th Street. More than 40,000 buyers from around the world are expected to attend. Additional information and registration is available online at nyigf.com, or by contacting George Little Management, LLC (GLM) at 1-800-272-SHOW (7469), or (603) 665-7524.