Urban Expositions Calls a Halt to Its Material World
-- Tradeshow Week, 11/16/2009
Urban Expositions launched Material World & Technology Solutions Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at the California Market Center in Los Angeles, where it was collocated with CMC's existing Los Angeles Intl. Textile Show.
Then, after just one edition, the show was scrapped, along with Material World's 10-year-old Miami Beach, Fla.-based flagship show.
“We've been looking at it for quite a while,” said Tim von Gal, partner and executive vice president of Urban Expositions. “The show in Miami has been declining the past couple of years. We decided both shows had to be viable in order to continue.”
He added the show in Miami coming up in the spring wasn't tracking well for exhibitors. “We thought it was necessary to cancel the show,” von Gal said.
The Los Angeles edition of the show drew 263 exhibitors, he added.
Urban Expositions has 18 annual shows, mainly in the gift, resort merchandise and souvenir categories.
The George Little Management-run San Francisco Intl. Gift Fair and the Seattle Gift Show recently were acquired by Urban Expositions, which last year bought the Boston Gift Show and partners with GLM on the Orlando Gift Show.
“We're obviously disappointed (with the Material World cancellation), but our other shows are growing nicely, and we decided to focus where our growth is,” von Gal said.
