Winter 2020 - 76

SHOW NEWS
First phase of Atlanta NEXT
initiative debuts in January
The Atlanta NEXT initiative, which transforms
AmericasMart Atlanta through capital investments
and strategic remerchandising of resources, has
made its first impact on the campus with the
repositioning and expansion of Open Year Round
home décor resources to five contiguous floors
(11-15) in Building 1. The newly remerchandised
floors, set to debut at The Atlanta International
Gift and Home Furnishings Market January 14-21,
2020, present a cohesive buying experience both
during and between markets.
" A major focus of Atlanta NEXT is to create a
more compelling and thoughtful experience for
the retailers and designers who use AmericasMart
as a resource year-round, " said Bob Maricich,
International Market Centers (IMC) CEO.
" Redefining the Open Year Round offerings creates
an easy-to-shop design center experience. "
The first phase of the remerchandising of the
home décor collection features 30 new, expanded
or relocated showrooms and 20 renewals. In
total, AmericasMart's Open Year Round home
decor offerings encompass 130 showrooms
presenting nearly 350 lines across all home
accent categories. For more information, visit
www.americasmart.com.
Enhanced Pitch Program returns
to Noted
Noted, the brainchild of the Greeting Card
Association (GCA), made its Brooklyn debut in May
2019 with the lofty goal of bringing the greeting
card community together and giving attendees
the chance to connect, discover new products and
celebrate not just greeting cards, but the people
behind them. When the second edition comes to
life May 1-3 in San Francisco, the Pitch Program
will also be resurrected.
" The most popular aspect of Noted in Brooklyn,
for publishers and participating retailers alike, was
the Pitch Program, " said George White, president
for GCA and COO for Up With Paper and UWP Luxe.
" During it, a select group of buyers was guided to
each of nine exhibitors for a five minute 'pitch'
from each. We divided the pitch recipients into
two groups, one of local independent retailers,
along with Dan Collier of Daniel Richards, and
one of larger retailers. Publishers were thrilled
with the opportunity to have these private pitch
opportunities, and the buyers expressed
appreciation for the opportunity to have five
uninterrupted minutes with each publisher. "
The 2020 Noted Pitch Program is still being
planned, but expect an improvement over last
year, White continued. " Buyers from Paper
Source, Papyrus, and Paper E Clips, the leading
distributor of greeting cards in Canada, have
already committed to the large retailer panel,
with a couple of others in the works, and Dan
Collier will return as a Pitch Recipient for the
independent retailer group, along with a few
leading San Francisco independents. "
In order to qualify, exhibitors must be
registered for the show and have submitted
their application by January 31, 2020. While
all Pitch Program exhibitors are selected at
random, those in the larger retailer program
are vetted for suitability. For more information,
visit www.notedexpo.org.
NY NOW Winter Market Sets
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76 Winter 2020 | STATIONERY TRENDS
the Stage to Embrace Retail
Renaissance
NY NOW makes its New Year debut by
presenting the industry with the first-looks
of winter 2020 trends and styles. Running
Saturday, Feb. 1, through Wednesday, Feb. 5,
at the Jacob K Javits Center in New York, NY
NOW will also be taking the next step in its
Retail Renaissance movement by transforming
the winter 2020 Market into an immersive,
experiential environment focused on fueling
discovery, igniting the imagination and
embracing the retailer journey.
" In 2020 we are embracing the retail
renaissance, this sweeping change that is
transforming the retail environment, " said
Kevin O'Keefe, executive vice president,
Emerald Expositions. " Through Transcend we
brought retailers beautiful on-floor examples
of inspirational presentations. We introduced
Transcend Talks where retailers could learn how
to create the best discovery experiences for their
buyers, how to leverage online and social media
and build customer loyalty. "
NY NOW's winter edition showcases a curated
blend of over 2,300 home, gift, handmade and
lifestyle brands in twelve distinctive product
categories. NY NOW also invites retailers to
experience and discover the offerings at the
co-located National Stationery Show (NSS) and
SURTEX Show.
To learn more, visit NYNOW.com.
http://www.americasmart.com http://www.notedexpo.org http://www.NYNOW.com
Winter 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Winter 2020
