Apr 10, 2015

NY NOW Summer edition expected to feature 100,000-plus products

A robust roster of new and returning exhibitors, complemented by a comprehensive slate of seminars and unique networking opportunities will provide Market participant with a dynamic shopping and sourcing experience during the summer 2015 edition of NY NOW, the Market for Home + Lifestyle, Saturday through Wednesday, Aug. 15-19, at the Javits Center in New York City.

Covering every aspect of home and lifestyle, NY NOW delivers over 100,000 products within three collections:

• HOME, which encompasses Accent on Design, Home Furnishings + Textiles andTabletop + Gourmet Housewares on Level Three of the Javits Center.
• LIFESTYLE, which includes Baby + Child, Gift, Personal Accessories and Personal Care + Wellness on Level One.
• HANDMADE, which incorporates Designer Maker (in the Javits Center North), Global Design (Four River Pavilion) and Artisan Resource, a production-sourcing venue for overseas artisan enterprises (Level Three).

Attendees from every U.S. state and more than 70 countries will be able to source products from 2,500 exhibitors. Exhibit floor highlights for the summer market include the return of Etsy Wholesale, an online platform that allows retailers to connect and transact directly with emerging independent designers, in a nearly 2,000-square foot pavilion featuring some 20 Etsy Wholesaler sellers.

The summer Market also welcomes back industry leaders Auratic, dbo Home, JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) and Zoli Baby — all of which are returning from an absence — as well as hundreds of first-time participants, including Design & Crafts Council of Ireland and WASARA Co., Ltd. In addition, long-term exhibitors, such Beatriz Ball, British Contemporary Craft, Bungalow 5 and Oliver Gal, are expanding their exhibit space for the summer Market. A full list of exhibitors and booth numbers will be available online at www.nynow.com after May 1.

The summer 2015 edition of NY NOW again will co-locate with Artisan Resource, a first-of-its-kind market connecting U.S.-based volume importers, direct import retailers and wholesalers with juried overseas artisan enterprises offering handmade production resources and products. Following last winter’s successful integration of Artisan Resource into the NY NOW floor plan at Javits, the summer 2015 edition of Artisan Resource will feature a three-fold increase in exhibit space to 10,000 square feet.
To help buyers prepare for this massive marketplace, NY NOW will introduce a new “NY NOW Market Planner,” which will include a robust “matchmaking” capability to help attendees find companies and resources central to their stated category interests. This planning tool also enables registrants to create a personalized planner for the Market, preview product images, videos and information, contact exhibitors and schedule onsite appointments.

Additionally, NY NOW’s popular SustainAbility: design for a better world exhibit will showcase the latest trends in eco-friendly responsible products, production and business practices.
Rounding out the onsite Market experience, NY NOW’s comprehensive series of seminars will address both practical and directional aspects of the home and lifestyle industry, with subjects ranging from retail operations and social media marketing to color and design trends. Over the five days of market, Snap Retail will present 18 sessions discussing tips and tools for online marketing, while CRAFT (Craft Retailers and Artists For Tomorrow) will deliver six “Power Hour” sessions on retail strategies.

Fostering a spirit of competition and recognizing outstanding design and functionality standards, NY NOW’s Best New Product Awards are presented in four key categories: Baby + Child, Home Textiles, Personal Care + Wellness and Tabletop + Gourmet Housewares, with select products to be recognized as Best of HOME and Best of LIFESTYLE through online popular voting.  Online balloting also determines winners of the Eco Choice Awards, co-sponsored by NY NOW and GREENRetailer magazine, in three categories: most innovative, most sensitive use of materials and most sellable.
Expert panels of retailers, designers and other tastemakers will determine winners in five other categories: Accent on Design Awards bestowed by the Accent on Design Selection Committee, Accent on Design Bloggers’ Choice Awards determined by leading bloggers; “Best of the Best” awarded by the New York Metro chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID); and IFDA Selects nominated by members of the New York Chapter of International Furnishings & Design Association. Winners will be announced, and posted online at www.nynow.com starting Aug. 15.