George Little Hopes to Corner High End

Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 7/12/2004

In order to cater to the upscale marketplace, George Little Management is launching new divisions at two of its gift shows this summer and redefining an existing division at a third.

Claiming that buyers have been increasingly demanding expensive, high-quality items, the firm is launching Fine Design in Dallas as part of GLM Temporaries at the Dallas Intl. Gift & Home Accessories Market. The firm is also launching Details as part of the San Francisco Intl. Gift Fair and adding more suppliers of high-end products than ever before at the At Home division of the California Gift Show.

"With an increasing sameness among mid- to lower-end product, folks who have money and desire different, unique product are willing to spend for it," explained Penny Sikalis, vice president and group show manager.

Two other GLM-managed events, The Intl. Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show and the New York Home Textiles Show, will add new divisions that feature high-end product. The former will launch the Luxury Product Collection, catering to buyers and sellers of deluxe furniture, linens, amenities, tableware and other hospitality-related items, within the Hotel section of the show. The latter will launch LifeStyles, which will include 10 to 15 companies displaying textiles, furniture and home accents with a contemporary twist.

With the new additions, the San Francisco Intl. Gift Fair will now showcase 16 divisions, GLM Temporaries will have eight, and the California Gift Show 11.

The June 2004 GLM Temporaries is expected to be 152,000 net square feet and to attract over 900 exhibitors and nearly 30,000 buyers, taking up slightly less space than the 161,000 net sq. ft. 2003 show. The San Francisco Intl. Gift Fair, on the other hand, is expected to grow this year to 325,000 net sq. ft. and to draw 1,900 exhibitors and 24,000 buyers, slightly larger than last year's 316,752 net sq. ft. show that drew a whopping 2,012 exhibitors but a mere 21,000 buyers.