Sep 5, 2012

Sold Out Gourmet Housewares Show Delivers on Exhibitor Expectations for Summer 2012 Edition

The Gourmet Housewares Show® at the New York International Gift Fair® (NYIGF®) not only expanded the number of exhibitors at its second annual edition in New York City, but also sold out every available booth for the summer 2012 edition, which ran August 19-22, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The Gourmet Housewares Show at NYIGF featured 175 companies, showcasing a refined concentration of both housewares and tabletop suppliers.

“Although we increased exhibit space by more than 15% for the second annual Gourmet Housewares Show, the exhibit floor was filled to capacity,” said Marc Delman, Gourmet Housewares Show national sales manager. “Clearly, companies in the gourmet category recognize the value of exposure at one of the country’s largest gift and lifestyle tradeshows.”

In total, some 500 gourmet resources were offered at NYIGF, with 175 exhibitors in NYIGF’s Tabletop division positioned directly adjacent to the Gourmet Housewares Show, and hundreds of additional “gourmet-relevant” exhibitors in other NYIGF divisions, including Accent on Design®, Handmade® Designer Maker and New York’s Newest.

Exhibitors found that cross-category buyers responded well to the proximity of gourmet resources. According Jesse Tawil of first-time exhibitor Lifetime Brands, “This was our NYIGF debut and it exceeded our expectations by far. We discovered some great new customers from stores not typical for us, including museum stores and design shops. In addition, we had a great response from our core kitchen customer.”

In response to feedback, the Gourmet Housewares Show ran for four – rather than five – days (Sunday through Wednesday) for the summer 2012 market. Exhibitors, including Ben Hewitt of Corkcicle responded favorably to the change, “One less day of this show seemed to have generated some serious buzz and excitement. It was almost as if there was an urgency to be here. We experienced a constant, good flow of buyers.”

More than 33,000 NYIGF attendees, representing all 50 states and 85 countries, attended the four-day market. Gourmet Housewares Show exhibitors recognized the quality as well as the quantity of buyers. “There was great enthusiasm at this market, apparent through large orders and solid leads that will turn into new business,” said Edward Artidiello of Mepra. “For us, the quality of the customer is better. The people walking these aisles are exactly who we need to see.”

Highlights of the summer 2012 show included presentation of the second annual Gourmet Housewares Show Best New Product Awards to four exhibitors in recognition of product design excellence. A panel of editors bestowed “Best of Show” honors to Joseph Joseph for its TriScale, with additional category awards presented for cooking (Key Ingredient for its Recipe Reader; dining (Ginsey Home Solutions for its Freeform Tray); and kitchen preparation (MOLECULE-R Flavors Inc. for its Cuisine R-EVOLUTION).

Since its inception in 1975, the Gourmet Housewares Show has provided a professional marketplace for the gourmet products and upscale housewares industries. The Gourmet Housewares Show at NYIGF features 175 exhibitors offering high-end resources in cookware, bakeware, kitchen gadgets, kitchen textiles, bar and wine accessories, small electrics, specialty food, cookbooks, storage/containers and picnic/barbecue accessories.

The third annual edition of the Gourmet Housewares Show at NYIGF will run Sunday, August 18, through Wednesday, August 21, 2013, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. For information and registration, visit www.thegourmetshow.com.