Jan 4, 2010

The California Gift Show Offers a Variety of Business Resources at the January Market

Los Angeles, CA – The California Gift Show® is excited to offer a variety of business resources during its January Market, January 12-18, 2010. These resources are designed to assist designers and retailers thrive in the new year.

“The California Gift Show is a must-attend market for buyers looking for fresh and unique product and key industry information. The Los Angeles Convention Center and L.A. Mart will offer numerous resources to help provide business success to the trade,” said Mark Furlet, vice president and general manager, L.A. Mart and California Gift Show. “Our resources will supply some of the latest, most relevant marketing information available today.”

PACE Business Development Center will be at the California Gift Show from 10a.m. – 2p.m. Friday, January 15 – Sunday, January 17, providing complimentary business counseling to retailers to help companies succeed. Retailers can benefit from the variety of PACE counselors available to provide business assessments, loan assessments, general information and more to support business. PACE is a private not-for-profit serving the Los Angeles community since 1976. They have successfully facilitated the start-up and expansion of thousands of businesses and are pleased to offer their services to retailers at the California Gift Show.

The California Gift Show and L.A. Mart Design Center are partnering with ASID and the Sustainable Furnishings Council in offering their industry first 6 hour (6 ceu) Certified Sustainability Training program January 15 from 10a.m. – 5p.m. The GREENleaders Certified Training program is designed to give retailers and designers the knowledge and credentials they need to be experts in green home furnishings and is being offered at a cost of $299. Designers can participate in a webinar preview January 12th at 1 p.m. PST at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/447374538 to receive a synopsis of the certified sustainability training course and a better understanding of what the entire program has to offer. Following the course will be a reception with drinks and late night shopping in DesignStudio2.

On Saturday, January 16 at 11:30a.m. Caroline Kennedy, Editor of Gifts & Decorative Accessories Magazine will be hosting an engaging panel discussion on how retailers are using social media, blogs, email, and the Internet to increase their store’s marketing reach. Retailers on the panel will discuss how they use social media in this new era and how it can increase business. Caroline Kennedy has been with Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazine for 25 years. Her long association with the gift industry gives her a broad perspective on its trends and the ever-changing landscape of gift retailing.

President of BizBash Masterplanner, Elisabeth Familian, will deliver a lively discussion of gift trends for meetings and events Saturday, January 16, 2010 from 10:00a.m. – 11:00a.m. Elisabeth will be joined by two event professionals who will share their insights on gift planning for 2010. They will provide tips and trends on how they will be purchasing for their organizations in the current economy.

Additionally, an interactive Twitter workshop will be presented by Lynn Switanowski-Barrett of Creative Business Consulting Group. Lynn and a CBCG partner will personally teach retailers how to best use Twitter as a strategy for marketing their small businesses. The former Senior Executive at Liz Claiborne, Reebok, and Aramark will teach key Twitter tactics and participation strategies to maximize ROI while minimizing time commitment. In addition, retailers are encouraged to follow @CA_GiftShow before and during market for great tips, announcements, specials, promotions, and discounts. Attending buyers, retailers and exhibitors can also capture and share activities and event happenings at the show via Twitter under the hashtag #CAGiftShow.

Reservations for all seminars and events are being taken at 213.608.3011. The California Gift Show is the place to find the newest, on-trend products and resources this January and intends to provide them as a platform for success for their customers and the industry. For more information, www.californiagiftshow.com.

L.A. Mart® is a registered trademark of MMPI. The California Gift Show® is a registered trademark of MMPI.L.A. Mart is home to nearly 300 permanent year-round, residential, decorative accessory and gift showrooms serving the retail and interior design industries. The California Gift Show and L.A. Mart Temporaries features over 500 temporary exhibitors of lifestyle merchandise, home décor and furnishings, in the newly enhanced and expanded Temporaries @ L.A. Mart, and Los Angeles Convention Center making the New California Gift Show the preeminent market for gift and home furnishings products on the West Coast. L.A. Mart is located at 1933 South Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90007. For more information call 213-763-5800 or visit www.lamart.com

MMPI is a trade show and property management firm, specializing in managing buildings devoted to wholesale showrooms and commercial office space. MMPI produces more than 300 trade shows, market events and conferences each year. MMPI manages The Merchandise Mart and 350 W. Mart Center in Chicago; Market Square, the Suites at Market Square, Hamilton Market, Plaza Suites, Furniture Plaza and the National Furniture Mart in High Point, N.C.; the Architects & Designers Building and 7 W New York in New York; the Boston Design Center in Boston; the L.A. Mart in Los Angeles; and the Washington Design Center in Washington D.C.

Vornado Realty Trust, owner of MMPI, based in New York City, is a fully integrated real estate investment trust. Vornado’s common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and are traded under the symbol VNO.