WHITE PLAINS, NY, August 27, 2014… Citing increased order-writing among buyers, vendors are reporting that the summer 2014 edition of NY NOW®, the Market for Home + Lifestyle was one of the strongest editions of NY NOW in recent memory, and for many, one of the industry’s strongest Markets of the summer season. The summer market, which included NY NOW as well as three co-located events – Artisan Resource®, SourceNY and Impulse at NY NOW – encompassed 550,000 net square feet of exhibit space across two New York City venues, the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Pier 94, and ran August 16-20, 2014.
“NY NOW presented a record number of new, returning and expanded array of resources for attendees this August, and proved to be a successful order-writing Market for most exhibitors, as well as a record-breaking Market for many companies,” said Christian Falkenberg, NY NOW director and senior vice president. “Anecdotally, many exhibitors reported that the show was the best of the industry’s summer markets, with brisk business, strong order writing and increased international participation.”
NY NOW’s 25,000+ attendees hailed from 50 states and from nearly 80 countries around the world, with Canada, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Columbia, Australia and the United Kingdom as the top sources of international attendees. For many exhibitors, this influx of international buyers resulted in a significant number of new accounts from global customers. “I had more international sales this season than I have had in the past, including a lot of buyers from Japan and Canada,” said HANDMADE exhibitor Kent Stetson. “The show was amazing! NY NOW consistently brings in more buyers than any other show, and sales at this show were beyond my expectations.”
Other exhibitors reported that the summer 2014 edition of NY NOW was the strongest of the industry’s summer cycle, and many credited the August Market as their best NY NOW in recent history. “Sunday was the best opening day we’ve seen in seven years and 14 shows,” said LIFESTYLE exhibitor Marpa Eager of Ramona Enterprises. “Orders were up 30% from the winter show alone.”
Companies making their NY NOW debut also benefited from the strong order-writing atmosphere. “We saw both domestic and international buyers ready to write orders,” said HOME exhibitor Melissa Lefere-Cobb of Oscar de la Renta. “As a first-time exhibitor at NY NOW, we’re happy with the results.”
Jesse Ross of Clementine Porcelain, who “graduated” from NY NOW’s Emerging Maker incubator program into a booth of her own for the first-time this August, echoed, “This is our first show and we were really prepared for our debut. We’ve done quite well. We’ve met quite a few museum shops, galleries and small independent storefront buyers. We also opened new accounts with buyers from Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Canada.’
A four-day schedule of educational and social programming supplemented market activities, with more than 40 educational sessions, industry social events, product awards and feature displays. The seminar series, sponsored by industry publications and associations, covered topics such as design and color trends, social media and online marketing, merchandising and retail strategies, and importing. Industry events included the 63rd Annual Retailer Excellence Awards and NY NOW’s popular “Night on Broadway,” featuring BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL.
Market activities also included recognition of innovative product design through category-specific award programs, including the Baby + Child Best New Product Awards; Tabletop + Gourmet Housewares Best New Product Award; and the Personal Care + Wellness Best New Product Award. The Home Textiles Best New Product Awards also were presented to five companies as part of Home Textiles Market Week®. Winners from these four category awards were finalists in the “Best of LIFESTYLE” and “Best of HOME” Awards, with top honors going to Pop up House Fort by nhocchi™ and Define Bottle by Define Bottle, respectively, via “Peoples’ Choice” online balloting.
Superlative product design was also recognized with the Accent on Design Awards and the Accent on Design Bloggers’ Choice Awards, chosen by representatives of leading design blogs. Within NY NOW’s SustainAbility: design for a better world® exhibit, the Eco Choice Awards rewarded the most innovative and environmentally responsible products. Additionally, the New York Metro chapter of ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) identified their “Best of the Best” suppliers in seven categories. Award winners are detailed online at http://nynow.studio98test.com/TheShow/AwardsPromotionsDisplays.aspx
The winter 2015 edition of NY NOW, the Market for Home + Lifestyle, will run Saturday, January 31, through Wednesday, February 4, 2015, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Passenger Ship Terminal Pier 94. NY NOW’s four comprehensive collections – HOME, LIFESTYLE, HANDMADE and NEW! – will encompass 100,000 products in 400+ product categories. Attendees from all 50 states and more than 80 countries worldwide are expected. Information and registration is available online at www.nynow.com.