July 2011 Issue

I am excited about the return of a show that I used to look forward to every year. An event that featured exhibitors displaying the best products for the “Gourmet” market. The name has changed. The location has been changed to a venue in a city with world-class dining and entertainment. The timing of the event is even closer to all-important holiday shopping season. In short, everything has changed, and this show is poised to take on a different meaning for our industry.

In case you have not heard, the Gourmet Housewares Show will debut this summer with the New York International Gift Fair. I have been attending the NYIGF for many years. It is always well attended by an international audience of “gift” retailers and gourmet stores from the Northeast. This is a show that traditionally boasted a waiting list for exhibit space, and exhibitor seniority was worth its weight in gold.

Now I have also noticed lately that some of these “gift” retailers are also attending shows in the housewares industry and the specialty food industry. So the inclusion of the aisles of the Gourmet Housewares Show is an interesting and timely twist that just may bring these two worlds closer together at a time of year when everyone's attention is on the holiday season.

Housewares and specialty foods have become a larger percentage of gift sales recently, and the trend is predicted to show continued growth. Where do many consumers go when they want to buy a unique gift? Many go to a gift store stocked with a variety of interesting items to appeal to a wide variety of tastes. Since many consumers are spending more time at home with their families, the interest in good food and meal preparation is on the rise. It seems logical to me that special gifts aimed at individuals who spend time in and around the kitchen will do very well in the upcoming holiday season.

What sort of gifts do I have in mind, you ask? We are preparing to show you with our “Gourmet Gift Exhibit” in the lobby of the Javits Center at NYIGF in August. We will assemble some of the most enticing gift offerings of the season for you to see in person. Our goal is to spotlight, on a compact scale, a world of fantastic products from adjacent industries that may not be on the speed-dial list of many of the retailers attending the show. These products will also be featured in a printed companion guide that will be distributed at the show, and published digitally for our entire audience to access at any time during the season.

As you tour AmericasMart, Dallas or the Summer Fancy Food Show, be on the lookout for well-packaged, clearly marked, attractive gourmet-oriented gifts because they are going to be big sellers this season.