Take that, post-pandemic doubters. Trade shows, markets are thriving. | Warren Shoulberg

Remember just a few years ago in the depths of the pandemic, all the experts were saying the industry’s trade shows and markets would never be the same again? People would be spooked about coming into contact with each other and they’d quickly move to doing virtually all of their business online?

Well, so much for the experts.

As we move into the second half of this decade, the gift and home industry’s major wholesale buying events in Atlanta, Dallas, New York and Las Vegas are, if not 100 percent back to pre-pandemic levels, pretty damn close. Given the more recent wild cards of tariffs, a soft economy and just now a war in the Middle East that is driving up costs, all of these shows and markets are doing just fine. In fact, coming into the summer show season we’re seeing pro-active and assertive activities that reinforce the strengths of each of these events.

The biggest news is the change of ownership and management of NY Now. Only a few years ago it vied for the largest and most important buying event on the industry calendar but more recently had serious fallouts in both exhibitors and attendees, a victim of both self-imposed and external factors, most notably the emergence of Shoppe Object as a legitimate competitor.

But only a few weeks ago the news broke that industry veteran Dorothy Belshaw was leading a group that was buying the show from its current owner, Emerald Expositions, and would bring a more hands-on approach to running it. We’ll see the first signs of this changeover in August, but it will no doubt not be until 2027 that more tangible signs will appear of its new direction.

In the meantime, Shoppe, now located in a venue more appropriate in size, layout and location, continues to grow with its focus on maker goods and more design-oriented merchandise.

In the meantime, the three market center shows in Atlanta, Dallas and Las Vegas are all introducing new formats for their temporary exhibitors, always a key component of their events. For Atlanta and Las Vegas, both owned by show giant Andmore, the temps areas are being rebranded First Finds, reflecting that these are the areas where new companies first appear and retailers often work these areas first before they shop the permanent showroom areas. Exhibitors are being reorganized into “neighborhoods” for a more cohesive shopping experience for buyers, Andmore said.

Dallas, too, is reorganizing its temps areas in what it calls an evolution, concentrating its exhibitors across several floors on its campus, primarily in the World Trade Center.

Now, please, don’t think I’m shilling for the market centers here. The digital side of the wholesale buying process, led by Faire, continues to gain momentum and acceptance and is a viable alternative for many buyers in many situations.

The point is that wherever and however it’s being done, the interactions between buyers and sellers remain the fundamental foundation of the industry. Any supplier not bringing newness to the marketplace every season and every retailer not making a sincere effort to check it all out is just not long for this world. “Same as it ever was” is not a strategy for success.

Every season brings a new twist, a fresh variation, something different than existed before. It’s the way the wind blows in the gift and home business.