United States Urged to “Think Asia, Think Hong Kong”

The largest Hong Kong promotion ever to take place in the United States will be held this summer to showcase Hong Kong’s advantages for American companies looking to tap new business opportunities in Asia, particularly on the Chinese mainland.

“Think Asia, Think Hong Kong” will feature symposiums in New York and Los Angeles, June 11 and 14 respectively. Speakers will include CY Leung, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR Government, and more than 60 prominent senior executives from global companies. The event is organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), with support from 14 Hong Kong partners and close to 100 US organisations.

“As the global economic balance continues to shift to Asia, Hong Kong is the ideal business platform from which to access the myriad regional opportunities now available in the growing ASEAN area and the Chinese mainland,” said HKTDC Chairman Jack So. “Our low taxes, free economy, rule of law, English-speaking environment and world-class business services make us the preferred partner for any overseas businesses wishing to tap these growing possibilities.”

There are approximately 1,400 US firms in Hong Kong, concentrated in trading, banking and finance, and transport. As of October 2012, there were 869 US companies with their regional headquarters or regional offices in Hong Kong, more than any other country.
In response to the U.S.'s National Export Initiative, the HKTDC launched the Pacific Bridge Initiative (PBI) in November 2010, to encourage American companies to work with Hong Kong in exporting to the Asian region. Since PBI’s implementation, the number of successful instances of US companies exporting to Hong Kong increased by 54.8 percent, to 353, as of November 2012. 

U.S. exports to Hong Kong from 2010 to 2012 grew by 41 per cent, to more than US$37 billion. Over the past decade (2003-2012), US exports to Hong Kong have surged 177 per cent. 

The Think Asia, Think Hong Kong sessions will focus on why U.S. companies should use Hong Kong’s business advantages. They will also look at how Chinese enterprises have been expanding their international presence through Hong Kong, and what mainland companies are looking for in global partners. 
 
In addition, some 10 industry sessions will take place. These will provide practical tips on selling consumer brands to mainland China and throughout Asia, explore technology partnership opportunities, discuss finance-related topics, spotlight the latest trends in the mainland’s outbound investment and look at Hong Kong-mainland collaborations in film and digital entertainment. 

More than 100 Hong Kong government officials and business leaders from a wide spectrum of sectors, including lifestyle products, fashion, food and wine, technology, finance, accounting, legal, logistics and marketing, will take part in Think Asia, Think Hong Kong. Business-matching sessions will be organized with U.S. companies onsite. The TATHK campaign is expected to attract more than 2,000 American corporate leaders, government representatives, heads of SMEs and opinion leaders with a special interest in Asia. 

For more information, visit thinkasiathinkhk.com/usa/en/index.html

March's Gift, Gourmet & Decor Digital Magazine is Now Available for Viewing

Welcome to March's digital issue of Gift, Gourmet & Decor Magazine.

This Month's Featured Content:

• Tabletop

• Crystal & Glass 
• Gift Alerts
• Homefashion

• Casual Entertaining
• Stationery
• Candles
• Greetings Cards

• Frames

• Hospitals

• Graduation

• Father's Day

• Dips
• Seven
• Plush
• Diaper Bags

• Newsmakers 

• Calendar 

• And Much More...

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Merged LA Fashion Market and CMC Gift & Home Market Creates Exciting Product Mix and New Business

The Fall 2013 Los Angeles Fashion Market, March 11-14, ran concurrently with CMC Gift & Home Market, March 10-14, all at the California Market Center (CMC). New accounts were the predominant reports from many of CMC's showrooms and exhibitors of the Market's featured tradeshows, SELECT Contemporary Tradeshow and TRANSIT Footwear & Accessories Show. The Markets featured thousands of lines and daily special events, including an Opening Night Reception, complimentary cafes, hospitality, plus much more. 

“We have had a great Market!” said David Perlman, founder of PerlmanRep, Suite B525. “Darling had a terrific showing, and Lavand from Spain did a lot of business as well. Thursday Island, from South Korea had some very large orders placed, and we debuted Ankorel from Paris this Show, who opened over 15 new accounts, making the launch a success. True Originals, out of Montreal, was also busy writing orders the entire Market which we were pleased with. Overall, every one of our brands was thrilled with the turnout of buyer traffic and new accounts opened this Market.” 

“I love shopping the California Market Center, it is so convenient for us,” said Mary Dawson of Revelation TOPS! “We do not travel to other shows because we find everything we need here in one place.”

There was also a significant presence of international retailers shopping at the CMC this Market. “This show has been really great,” reported Liza Stewart, founder of Liza Stewart Showroom, Suite B535. “We have seen a ton of international customers, and a very nice flow of traffic throughout the Market.” They included Kai Lani, Laisser Faire, Word of Mouth Inc, State of the Art, Distortion, Inc, Londi, Free;s International, Rizzi B, Stoke Co LTD, and Cher Office, from Japan, Clara Natalia from Paris, Comercializadora Santa Catalina from Santiago, Chile, This Is My Haus from Vienna, Bischoff Roja Tekstil from Istanbul, Fiori from Hong Kong, Pombo Apparel & Accessories from Managua, Nicaragua, Belly Couture from Mexico, YML from Panama, and Colnotex SA from Bogota, Columbia. Canada also had a large retail attendance, with stores such as Cream from Stanmore, Philip Nyren from Victoria, Purr Petite LTD from Calgany, Vincent Park from Vancouver, PJZZZZ Pyjamas Inc from Surrey, Aria Boutique from Regina, Joan’s Accessories & More from Winnipeg, and Ella’s from Langley, plus many more. “This show has been really great,” reported Liza Stewart, founder of Liza Stewart Showroom, Suite B535. “We have seen a ton of international customers, and a very nice flow of traffic throughout the Market.”

SELECT was held Monday-Wednesday of Market, and presented a tightly curated selection of Contemporary apparel, accessories and footwear exhibitors that included brands such as Magaschoni, Deepa Gurnani, Christina Miller Designs, Flynn Handbags, Kunzli, Tiffany Alana, Winston White, Will & Fame, Style New York, Theia Jewelry, Azaara, Pour la Victoire, Kelsi Dagger Handbags, Beagle House NY, Boutique 9, Enzo Angiolini, Gillian Julius, Marcia Moran, Minnie Rose, Sogoli, Monserat de Lucca, Mystique, Jolie Altman, Remi & Reid, Streets Ahead, Adina Reyter, and Christina K Pierce Showroom, representing Lily and Migs, The Third Piece, Sefani, G Kim, Launch, Ruch, and Selahdo.

“This show has been fabulous for us,” said Denise Shaller, Sales Manager of Minnie Rose. “We introduced new product this show, and it has been greatly received. We continue to exhibit at SELECT each season because we have a great clientele on the West Coast, and they enjoy knowing that they can always find us here.” 

“This show was good for us. We saw all of our loyal returning customers,” said Yukiko Kawabata, president of Beagle House NY. “They know they can find us here.”

TRANSIT Footwear & Accessories Show was also held Monday-Wednesday, in the CMC Penthouse. The showcase was geared toward footwear retailers of all sizes. Notable labels exhibiting included Palladium Boots, Tsubo, Tretorn, Jeffrey Campbell, ABS Allen Schwartz, Charles David, Betsey Johnson, Report Signature, Steve Madden, Splendid, The Frye Company, Modern Vice, Obsession Rules, Blowfish Malibu, CC Corso Como, Carolinna Espinosa, Sendra Boots, Madeline, Report Footwear, Vince Camuto, BCBG Max Azria, Lucky Brand Footwear, YRU, Ella Moss, Jessica Simpson, Matiko, DV by Dolce Vita, Michael Antonio, Alli Marie, Chinese Laundry, and Rocket Dog, plus many more. 

“We had never done TRANSIT, and actually had three separate retailers ask us why we had never participated in showing here, so we decided to try it this season,” said Logan Olson, Southwest Sales Representative of Tsubo. “The show has been really good for us. We do not participate in any West Coast Shows, and this has been a really great jumping off platform to establish our brand in the Western U.S.”

Running concurrently to LA Fashion Market, the CMC Gift & Home Market took place Sunday- Thursday, March 10 – 14. Buyers were able to discover endless creative merchandising opportunities from all the cross-over product, and as a result, gift and home companies all reported a very successful Market. 

“We have seen much success from the cross-over traffic by merging CMC Gift & Home Market with LA Fashion Market,” said Mitchell Hall, owner of Bridgeport Gallery, Suite C1211. “More than half the people who have written orders with us this show were mainly apparel sector. It has been very good for us, and we are really happy to be here at the California Market Center.” 

Mickey Lang, founder of California Marketing Associates (CMA), Suite C1300, agreed with Mitch, saying “We had a great Market and opened many new accounts.” 

Dates for the Fall II/ Holiday 2013 LA Fashion Market are Monday - Thursday, June 10-13, 2013. The Market is also open to buyers on Sunday, June 9, 2013, for preview.

Buyers Market of American Craft Experiences Major Increase in Attendance

This February's Buyers Market of American Craft reported its first major attendee increase in size since the recession, with growth in the numbers of both exhibitors and buyers.

In post-show surveys, retailers have been praising the variety and quality of the nearly 800 exhibitors in the show, which exclusively offers American-made and Canadian-made products. Final buyer attendance numbers were not yet available, but the show office reported that pre-registrations by retail companies just before the show exceeded the prior year and were on target, with walk-in traffic anticipated, to be the highest in three years.

Retailers shop the Buyers Market to meet familiar designers but also to find something new. Buyers Market organizers invested months before the show seeking out new products: By February, there were 160 artists whose gift, home and fashion merchandise would be new to this wholesale tradeshow.

Among them were five winners of the Buyers Market Merit Award - artists whose products had never before been sold at a wholesale tradeshow: Aleksandra Vali, award-winning designer of carved and cast silver jewelry; Joseph Gower of GDG Studios, sculptor of porcelain wares; Susan Lenz, creator of lace-like embroidered and textured fiber art; Jennifer Merchant, designer of layered acrylic jewelry with printed imagery; Chelsea Foehr and Jeremy Griffith of Delish Glass, artists of hand-blown glass vessels and pens.

Special emphasis in 2013 was put on filling the needs of retailers who wanted American-made and artist-made apparel and accessories. They were showcased in two runway fashion shows. Show organizers reported that the wearable art, accessories and fiber/apparel section of the show exceeded original projections, giving reason for that section of the show to be expanded next year.

The tradeshow included two related exhibitions: One was the annual exhibition of finalists and winners of the NICHE Awards, a prestigious award recognizing excellent design in fine craft. A spectacular display of nearly 125 products on the convention center concourse showed the diversity of high-quality designs made by American artist studios, including clocks, sculptures, jewelry, tableware, Judaica and home furnishings. Among the finalists were 38 studios that had works in the Buyers Market tradeshow: Retailers could visit the exhibit and then meet some of their favorite artists on the show floor. At the NICHE Awards ceremony on Saturday night, 42 artist studios and 18 students from U.S. and Canadian art schools took home trophies for their designs. The full winner’s list is online at AmericanMadeShow.com.

“We want to assure retailers that next year the Buyers Market will be even bigger and better,” says Rebecca Mercado, show director. The 2014 Buyers Market will be a four-day show and Jewelry Preview. The dates for next year will be Saturday-Tuesday, January 18-21, 2014, with a Jewelry Preview on Friday, January 17, 2014, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. For more information, visit AmericanMadeShow.com.

Giftware News' March Digital Look Book Insider is Now Available for Viewing

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San Francisco International Gift Fair Attracts Premier Retailers From Western Region, Nation

Drawn by its growing reputation as a key resource for upscale designs and unique finds, top western region and national retail buyers from department and chain stores, home furnishing, museums, zoos, aquariums, wineries as well as national, state and local parks and premier tourist destinations flocked to the February 16-19, 2013 edition of the San Francisco International Gift Fair held at Moscone Center. 

"The San Francisco International Gift Fair continues to attract a strong presence of top western region and national retailers who come here to find 'new' and 'different'. We heard time and again from buyers on the floor how excited they were to find new lines and how successful their buying trip to San Francisco was because they picked up new vendors that they aren't seeing at other shows," said Doug Miller, president, Urban Expositions. "The show's upscale product mix and the addition of new resources to the growing Design, Museum and Handcrafted divisions proved to be a boon for a number of our buyers." 

The Urban Expositions sales team has continued to expand the exhibitor base with each successive show. The February 2013 edition brought together more than 900 booths representing thousands of lines conveniently organized into 11 product sectors on the show floor, including: Gifts & Collectibles, American-Made Handcrafted, Design, Home & Garden, Museum, Personal Style, Tabletop, Gourmet & Housewares, Treasures to Go, Village Arts, Vintage Collection and World Style Handcrafted. 

The vast and versatile selection received rave reviews from attending retailers.
"The San Francisco International Gift Fair proved to be a winner for me. I was able to find five new vendors within the first two aisles and a total of 13 new vendors by the end of the day. The gift show offered national and locally known companies that will make our new store in San Francisco complete," Jonny Gieselman, Bye Bye Chicago, Chicago, IL.

"I enjoyed the show and the city is fabulous. I met new vendors, saw lots of familiar faces, placed orders for new product and did a couple of repeat orders, so it was definitely worth attending, " said Suzanne Tawil-Betlach, Director, Balboa Park Visitors Center, Long Beach, CA. 

"Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy's booth had fabulous designs and Keena's booth was fresh and inspiring. My buying trip to the San Francisco International Gift Fair has been positive," adds Cheryl Shonnard, Funkie Baby, San Leandro, CA.
Exhibitor reports of brisk order-writing and new business added to the buzz on the show floor: 

Urban Expositions continued many of its buyer friendly services, including a parking rebate program benefitting the San Francisco Food Bank, complimentary coffee each morning in the buyer's lounge, and a top-notch buyer education program. Retailers were able to attend free seminar presentations on a host of topics, including social media marketing, retail efficiency, buying and order management, as well as a 2013 trend presentation for the giftware and home accessories industry. 

The next edition of the San Francisco International Gift Fair will be held July 27-30, 2013 at the Moscone Center - South Hall. The Urban Expositions management team is already working on programs and promotions to ensure the show's continued growth. Urban will continue to strengthen and expand the show's Design, Museum and Handcrafted divisions as well as invest a significant part of the show's marketing budget to buy down hotel rates and quality properties to once again offer retailers significant travel savings. 

For more information on exhibiting, contact Leanna John at ljohn@urban-expo.com. 

For information on attending, contact Briana Mackey at bmackey@urban-expo.com or Jhana Jordan at jjordan@urban-expo.com.