ASD/AMD Survives Retail Slump
Rachel Wimberly -- Tradeshow Week, 8/15/2008 10:29:00 AM
Anyone associated with the retail sector had a welcome sight in the aisles of Nielsen Business Media’s ASD/AMD Trade Show, held Aug. 10-13 at the Las Vegas Sands MegaCenter, Las Vegas Convention Center and the Mirage Casino-Hotel: Along with the gnome statues, faux mining helmets and rubber ducky sprinklers on display, there were exhibitors – with pads in hand – writing orders.
On the second day of the show, exhibitor Teri Hurley, show manager for Seville, Ohio-based Ohio Wholesale, said, “So far, not bad. Yesterday was slow, but today picked up.”
Hurley said she was attempting to be realistic about sales for her company, a Christmas decoration wholesaler that exhibits at more than 35 shows a year.
“The economy is not in the best of shape right now,” she added. Even so, Hurley said, “The customers are still buying. Vegas is the biggest show in the season.”
Chris McCabe, vice president of Nielsen’s Merchandise Group, said square footage for the show was off by 6 percent this year. “There are slightly less exhibitors,” he added.
In particular, the Source Direct area of the show saw declines, McCabe said, because the massive earthquake that struck Western China in May affected a number of exhibitors based there. “It was really hard on them,” he added. “There are 175 companies not here from China.”
As of press time, attendance figures were unavailable, according to McCabe. But, he added, “If there was any down attendance, there are still serious buyers in the floor.”
Last year’s August show ranked No. 20 on the most recent TSW 200 with 723,200 net sq. ft., 3,191 exhibitors and 50,727 attendees.
Some exhibitors told TSW they thought there were fewer people than in previous years.
“It’s slow, and yesterday was very quiet,” said Samuel Han, Los Angeles-based Premier Toy’s director. “Today is OK, but, with the economy and gas prices, a lot of buyers didn’t fly.”
Han added that he usually does a minimum of $400,000 worth of business at ASD/AMD. “But not now,” he said.
Exhibitor Karl Yost, owner of Jackson Hole, Wyo.-based Huckleberry Mountain, said he, too, thought there were slightly fewer people on the showfloor than in previous years.
“I would have come regardless,” Yost added. “This is one of my permanent shows.”
Buyers, including Paul Miller, president of Forest Hills, N.Y.-based Cubicle Comfort, also felt coming to the show, regardless of the cost of travel, was worth it.
“I got a ticket well in advance,” Miller said. “I’m starting a Web site in a few weeks, and it’s very useful to take some of the seminars.”
