WHITE PLAINS, NY, May 29, 2015… A full slate of educational sessions covering a broad gamut of business strategies – supplemented by unique after-hours networking opportunities, themed product displays and awards for product excellence – will enrich the market experience for participants in the summer 2015 edition of NY NOW®, the Market for Home + Lifestyle, August 15-19, 2015, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. (NOTE: Details and registration are available online at www.nynow.com/ programs.)
Leading industry experts will dissect practically every aspect of business operations — social media marketing, visual merchandising, tax preparation, demographic analysis, importing advice — and share savvy, actionable strategies. A slate of unique after-hours events including NY NOW’s popular “Night on Broadway,” featuring specially priced tickets to innovative new musical HAMILTON, also is on tap. A full seminar and event schedule is available online at www.nynow.com/programs, with advance pricing discounts in effect through August 14.
“We’re committed to delivering not just outstanding home and lifestyle, but to go beyond to help market participants better their businesses and to enjoy the best of New York City,” said Randi Mohr, NY NOW co-director and vice president. “From visual merchandising ideas to social media strategies, from staffing solutions to Millennial consumers, from design trends to overcome importing hurdles, we have practically every aspect of the industry covered.”
SnapRetail will host a variety of daily, free, sessions addressing online marketing strategies – with both 15-minute “In a Snap” sessions, as well as more in-depth explorations of building a web presence, Pinterest and Instagram for businesses, effective email subject lines, and more. CRAFT (Craft Retailers & Artists for Tomorrow) will present a series of “Power Hour” sessions focusing on different aspects of branding and sales strategies: “Branding for Beginners — Essential Tips For (Re)Creating Your Brand,” “Staffing Mistakes Every Business Owner Should Avoid,” “Influencer Outreach and Reputation Management,” “Measure Twice, Market Once: A Beginner’s Guide to Marketing Analytics,” “Why Strategic Plans Fail: The Missing Factors In Growing Your Business,” and “Looking for a Retail Advantage? Handmade American Craft Adds Excitement and Sparks Sales.”
Two Museum Store Association-hosted sessions will address tax and branding issues relevant to non-profit retailing. On Saturday, August 15, Robert Lyons, of Marks Paneth presents “Understanding UBIT & Its Impact on Your Bottom Line,” and Laurie Marshall of Marshall Law Group shares strategies for protection of brand identity in “Understanding How Trademark Rules Impact Business & Branding.”
On Sunday, August 16, the seminar “Open House — What’s Hot in Home?” will be presented by Warren Shoulberg of Progressive Business Media, Laurie Pressman of Pantone and Tom Mirabile of Lifetime Brands. The seminar, which will address design and color trends, as well as related consumer preferences. is presented as a complement to NY NOW’s Open House display, an annual showcase of color and design trends relevant to home and lifestyle products.
Other Sunday sessions include “Pop-Up Retailing” hosted by Specialty Retail Report and presented by Patti Biro, will address the new trend in temporary retailing, while the Day Spa Association will deliver “Spa Products Are Hot… Show Them to Sell Them!” E-commerce will come under the microscope in a panel discussion, “Turning Brick-and-Mortar to Click-and-Order” led by Jenny Heinzen York of Home Accents Today.
Material and color trends, brand story-telling, spa retailing and selling to Millennials will be the topics addressed in three seminars on Monday, August 17. The New York Chapter of International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA) will host “A Visual Journey: An Exploration of Trends in Color and Material,” presented by Stacy Garcia; Susan Szenasy of METROPOLIS will explore product sales through provenance marketing in “Selling Sustainability through Provenance”; and strategies for expanding a spa retail business will be shared in seminar hosted by the Day Spa Association; and Claire Johnson, managing editor of Giftware News, will present “Generation Y Not? Engaging Millennials In Your Store’s Marketing Strategy.”
On tap for Tuesday, August 18, Fashion Group International will deliver “New Gifting Experience,” discussing the latest in gifting for today’s discriminating consumer; “Blogging for Business 101: Everything You Need to Know and Why” will discuss using a blog to build business; and Gift Shop will present “How to Hire, Manage and Retain Millennial Employees.”
Attendees also will be able to take advantage of an expanded slate of seminars to be hosted in collection with Artisan Resource®, which runs concurrently with NY NOW at the Javits Center. Free “Importing 101” sessions will be presented on Sunday, August 16 and Monday, August 17. Other Artisan Resource seminars in the lineup include “Handmade Futures: 2016 Design and Color Trends in Global Handmade Products,” “Concept to Reality: Turning Ideas Into Artisan-Right Products and Processes,” “Handmade Messaging: How to Build a Design-Oriented Artisan Brand and Tell the World About It,” and “Buyer Panel: The Highs and Lows of Artisan Commerce.”
The fifteen-minute, and 45-minute online marketing presentations hosted by SnapRetail, as well as the Artisan Resource seminars, are free of charge. Most other NY NOW sessions cost $20 before August 14, and $25 afterwards. Pre-registration is required for all sessions. Complete details, and registration is available online at www.nynow.com/programs.
Beyond the show floor, NY NOW will host “Only in New York” events, offering attendees unparalleled after-hour networking opportunities. The roster includes NY NOW’s perennial favorite “Night on Broadway,” featuring discounted tickets to the Monday, August 17 performance of HAMILTON. Tickets normally priced at $142 are specially priced at $110 before August 14, and $120 after. Also on tap are Gifts and Decorative Accessories’ Retailer Excellence Awards to be held on Sunday, August 16; discounted admission to the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) during Market Week; and a networking reception for Museum Store Association members.
For the second consecutive year, HGTV Magazine is hosting a Blogger Block Party in connection with NY NOW. This day-long meeting and tweeting event, running Monday, August 17, from 12 Noon to 8:00pm, at 404 10th Avenue (between 32nd & 33rd Streets), will include appearances by HGTV Magazine’s Editor in Chief, Sara Peterson, and designer Genevieve Gorder. For details, visit www.hgtvmagonline.com/events.
Two special product displays will highlight sustainability and design trends at NY NOW. The SustainAbility: design for a better world® display will feature eco-friendly and socially-responsible home and lifestyle products and producers while “Open House,” sponsored by Progressive Business Media and Pantone, will highlight four key design and color trends for 2015-2016 —Bijoux, Ephemera, Footloose and Mixed Bag — representing various uses of color, materials and cultural inspiration.
Outstanding product design and innovation will be recognized in four Best New Product Awards categories: Baby + Child, Gourmet Housewares + Tabletop, Home Textiles and Personal Care + Wellness, with popular voting to determine an overall “Best of HOME” and “Best of LIFESTYLE” winner from among these categories. Popular voting also will determine “Eco Choice Awards” winners in three categories – Most Sellable, Most Innovative and Most Sensitive Use of Materials.
Industry experts will cull winners in four additional awards categories: The Accent on Design® Awards and the Accent on Design “Bloggers’ Choice Awards” will recognize excellence in contemporary home and lifestyle product design; the ASID NY Metro Chapter’s “Best of the Best” Awards will select HOME exhibitors for product excellence in seven categories; and IFDA NY Selects — Best in Market @ NY NOW will select new and innovative home products in eight categories.
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. 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.
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