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.
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