Atlanta Gift: Post-Show Report

”So…what do you think about the show?” was the question most frequently asked by exhibitors as I strolled the aisles of Atlanta Gift the past several days. In a nutshell? I thought it was a good show, living up to the high expectations folks have for AmericasMart. Here’s what I saw:

Buyer attendance
As expected, buyer traffic was down, but better than January. Before anyone out there begins challenging that notion, they need to keep in mind that it’s not just the number of warm bodies you see in a hallway that count, but the number of days those bodies are in Atlanta to begin with (see a more detailed explanation of that here). Of the multitude of buyers I spoke to pre-show who were making the trip, all but two were cutting their stays significantly due to budget constraints; one very organized retailer managed to fly in and out in one day, planning to supplement her summer buying with a trip to Chicago next weekend, which is closer to home and less costly to do. The fewer days a buyer remains in town, the fewer times that warm body will appear in the hallways. They were there…just not for as long as usual.

Buyer quality (aka: who’s spending money?)
As was the case at the National Stationery Show (see report here), the lookie-loo buyers stayed home, which disappointed no one. Those who did make the trek to Atlanta were here on a mission, with a plan, and determination to be prepared for fourth quarter. Did they spend a ton of money? Of course not; no one has a ton of money right now. What they did do, though, was let reps and vendors know they’re ready to write, will continue to place orders as cash flow permits, and are hell bent on still being around come January.

What lines are buyers writing?
If they’re strong, proven sellers in their stores, buyers continue to remain loyal. If the lines are marginal or slow, they’re toast. If the lines are showing up on nearby competitor shelves or in big boxes, well…the term “drop kick” would be the polite version of what applies there. Several buyers told me they’ve adopted a new strategy of not reordering from most of their lines, but continually bringing in new lines to replace those that sell through, keeping their inventory mix in constant flux. That’s a risk for all but the most savvy buyers, since remaining true to a niche is critically important, but if someone is sharp enough to pull it off, it really can work…and work well.

Got a quiet booth? Look in the mirror.
With the continued success of High Design (Building 2 West Wing), there appears to come grumbling from other temps in the building, upset that their traffic didn’t match HD, blaming it on everything from the location of High Design to some misconceived notion that HD is AmericasMart’s favored child. Well folks, guess again. The booths that make it into HD don’t just throw up their walls, unpack their boxes, then sit back and wait for orders to come to them. They work like dogs before the show, spending big bucks on marketing and customer contact to assure they get the traffic. One HD exhibitor (who shall remain nameless) spends thousands of dollars going into the Atlanta shows on pre-show marketing alone. That’s not to say you need to spend at that level too, but…if you want to catch fish, you gotta bait the hook, my friends. They aren’t going to just swim up to the boat and leap in.

Musical chairs
More than at any other show I’ve attended in the past sixteen years (gads), this one had more reps and company executives flying under the banners of new employers than ever before. There have been a lot moves on the employment side of the industry, without question…a few that surprised even me. Same holds true for lines in showrooms; whether from vendors going out of business or simply wanting to test new waters, many familiar faces were found in unfamiliar corners. Everyone is looking for the magic bullet-—retailers, reps, distributors, and manufacturers.

The Department 56 Showroom
Yes, it was a ghost town. Yes, that broke my heart. Has word not spread among buyers that Enesco is now the mortar between those tiny little Snow Village bricks? Or have the Amazon figures who would never fit through those itty-bitty doorways scared them all off? (What is up with that, anyway? C’mon…folks…pro-por-tion.)

The new food court in Building 1
If you missed it, you really missed it. There’s a new food court on the 10th floor where High Design used to be. Great food and lots of seating (who needs hot dogs when you can enjoy a Nutella and fresh strawberries crepe?). This one’s a winner.

AmericasMart online
As most of you know, I wear several hats (the understatement of the century), one of which is as a member of the AmericasMart Advisory Board. During our summer meeting yesterday, Will Hakes, the new Chief Marketing Officer, was introduced. Why is this newsworthy? Because Will is all about social media and online experience, from Facebook to Twitter to the soon-to-be-launched and greatly overhauled AmericasMart website. He GETS IT, folks, and is bringing AmericasMart to the party. Their new blog is already up and running (disclaimer time: I was their first Guest Blogger), with lots of great things to follow.

The 3/50 Project seminar
Thanks to everyone who attended on Sunday, making this session one I’ll remember forever. And…my apologies to the kind gentleman who had the 2:30 seminar slot, who was still waiting for us to clear out thirty minutes after our session ended. (Next stop: Chicago Gift, this Saturday)

All in all, I think Altanta’s July show falls solidly in the WIN column. Well done, folks. Well done, indeed.