WHITE PLAINS, NY, April 10, 2015… A robust roster of new and returning exhibitors, complemented by a comprehensive slate of seminars and unique networking opportunities will provide Market participants with a dynamic shopping and sourcing experience during the summer 2015 edition of NY NOW®, the Market for Home +Lifestyle, Saturday, August 15, through Wednesday, August 19, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.
“NY NOW offers attendees unparalleled shopping and sourcing opportunities, unrivaled networking activities and exclusive educational information,” said Randi Mohr, NY NOW co-director and vice president. “The Market provides easy access to both industry-leading suppliers and to innovative newcomers. NY NOW’s unique exhibits, education and events – all presented against the backdrop of New York City – make NY NOW a ‘must-attend’ for the industry. ”
Comprehensively covering every aspect of home and lifestyle, NY NOW delivers over 100,000 products within three collections: HOME, which encompasses Accent on Design®, Home Furnishings + Textiles and Tabletop + Gourmet Housewares on Level Three of the Javits Center; LIFESTYLE, which includes Baby + Child, Gift, Personal Accessories and Personal Care + Wellness on Level One of the Javits Center; and HANDMADE, which incorporates Designer Maker (in the Javits Center North), Global Design (on the Javits Center’s Level Four River Pavilion) and Artisan Resource®, a production-sourcing venue for overseas artisan enterprises (on Level Three of the Javits Center). Attendees from all 50 U.S. states and more than 70 countries worldwide will be able to source products from 2,500 exhibitors, from some 300+ countries worldwide.
Exhibit floor highlights for the summer market include the return, for the second consecutive year, of Etsy Wholesale, an online platform that allows retailers to connect and transact directly with emerging independent designers, in a nearly 2,000 square foot pavilion featuring some 20 Etsy Wholesaler sellers. The summer Market also welcomes back industry leaders Auratic, dbo Home, JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) and Zoli Baby – all of which are returning from an absence – as well as hundreds of first-time participants, including Design & Crafts Council of Ireland and WASARA Co., Ltd. In addition, long-term exhibitors, such Beatriz Ball, British Contemporary Craft, Bungalow 5 and Oliver Gal, are expanding their exhibit space for the summer Market. A full list of exhibitors and booth numbers will be available online at www.nynow.com after May 1.
The summer 2015 edition of NY NOW again will co-locate with Artisan Resource®, a first-of-its-kind market connecting U.S.-based volume importers, direct import retailers and wholesalers with juried overseas artisan enterprises offering handmade production resources and products. Following last winter’s successful integration of Artisan Resource into the NY NOW floor plan at Javits, the summer 2015 edition of Artisan Resource will feature a three-fold increase in exhibit space to 10,000 net square feet.
To help buyers prepare for this massive marketplace, NY NOW will introduce a dynamic new “NY NOW Market Planner,” which will include a robust “matchmaking” capability to help attendees find companies and resources central to their stated category interests. This easy-to-use planning tool also enables registrants to create a personalized planner for the Market, preview product images, videos and information, contact exhibitors and schedule onsite appointments.
Attendees can complement exhibit floor finds with color and trend insights through NY NOW’s fourth annual “Open House” project, presented in 2015 in cooperation with Pantone and Progressive Business Media. This exclusive curated onsite exhibit will present directional color and design trends in four key trends – Bijoux, Ephemera, Footloose and Mixed Bag – and a related seminar will explore both colors and concepts in more detail. Additionally, NY NOW’s popular SustainAbility: design for a better world® exhibit will showcase the latest trends in eco-friendly and socially-responsible products, production and business practices.
Rounding out the onsite Market experience, NY NOW’s comprehensive series of seminars will address both practical and directional aspects of the home and lifestyle industry, with subjects ranging from retail operations and social media marketing to color and design trends. Over the five days of market, Snap Retail will present 18 sessions discussing tips and tools for online marketing, while CRAFT (Craft Retailers and Artists For Tomorrow) will deliver six “Power Hour” sessions on retail strategies. In addition, New York City’s International Furnishings & Design Association (IFDA) will explore trends in color and materials. Trends in gifting will be the focus of a presentation by Fashion Group International and the Day Spa Association will share strategies for visual merchandising. Industry trade publications also will present sessions on retail technology, millennial marketing and more. Information and registration for all NY NOW seminars and events will be available online, at www.nynow.com/programs, by May 1.
NY NOW’s “Only in New York” Market Week after-hours offerings include both industry networking and some of New York City’s best attractions and entertainment. Highlights include Gifts and Decorative Accessories’ Retailer Excellence Awards on Sunday, August 16, the perennial favorite NY NOW “Night on Broadway,” with specially-priced tickets for the Tuesday, August 17 performance of HAMILTON; and free admission to the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) and 20% shopping discount, on select items, at The Store at MAD during Market Week. In a continuation of cooperation between two leading home and lifestyle brands. HGTV Magazine also will host its second annual “Blogger Block Party” concurrently with NY NOW, on Monday, August 17.
Fostering a spirit of competition and recognizing outstanding design and functionality standards, NY NOW’s Best New Product Awards are presented in four key categories: Baby + Child, Home Textiles, Personal Care + Wellness and Tabletop + Gourmet Housewares, with select products to be recognized as Best of HOME and Best of LIFESTYLE through online popular voting. Online balloting also determines winners of the Eco Choice Awards, co-sponsored by NY NOW and GREENRetailer magazine, in three categories: most innovative, most sensitive use of materials and most sellable.
Expert panels of retailers, designers and other tastemakers will determine winners in five other categories: Accent on Design® Awards bestowed by the Accent on Design® Selection Committee, Accent on Design® Bloggers’ Choice Awards determined by leading bloggers; “Best of the Best” awarded by the New York Metro chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID); and IFDA Selects nominated by members of the New York Chapter of International Furnishings & Design Association. Winners will be announced, and posted online at www.nynow.com, starting August 15.
The summer 2015 edition of NY NOW®, the Market for Home +Lifestyle, will run Saturday, August 15, through Wednesday, August 19, 2015, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The show will have staggered opening dates and times, with HANDMADE running Saturday to Tuesday; and HOME, LIFESTYLE and Artisan Resource running Sunday to Wednesday. Market hours are 9am – 6pm, daily, except Tuesday, August 18, when HANDMADE closes at 5pm; and Wednesday, August 19, when HOME, LIFESTYLE and Artisan Resource close at 2pm.
NY NOW’s three comprehensive collections – HOME, LIFESTYLE and HANDMADE, as well as NEW! exhibitors – encompass 100,000 products in myriad product categories. Attendees from all 50 states and around the world are expected. Information and registration is available online at www.nynow.com.
###