Pool Gets New Head, Shifts Focus for 2008
Mindy Weiner, Pooltradeshow’s operations manager, has announced her resignation from the trade show, effective the end of this year. “It has been a good ride, a great ride,” said Weiner, who is moving to North Carolina, where she will pursue her passion for the environment with a variety of pursuits, including an alternativehousing project. Under Weiner’s stewardship, Pooltradeshow launched S(eco)nd, a capsule show for environmentally conscious brands, and expanded its reach beyond T-shirts and casual sportswear to include significant up-and-coming contemporary brands.
Stephanie Seeley, who joined Pooltradeshow in October as show manager, will assume Weiner’s responsibilities. “She was hired to take over knowing I would be leaving,” Weiner said. “She’ll be filling my shoes, and she already has been doing such a great job.”
Seeley, who most recently held the position of head buyer at Los Angeles–based specialty retailer American Rag Cie, said she is excited to take over the show’s reins. Under her supervision, Pooltradeshow will undergo a re-branding. At its debut show in the Las Vegas Convention Center in February, Pooltradeshow will be re-merchandised. “We’re relaunching as an art- and design-driven show. In February, our exhibitors will be divided [under the categories] of ’Art’ and ’Design,’” Seeley said. That means brands focusing on graphics-driven apparel, jewelry and footwear will show under the “Art” umbrella. Brands focusing on design—namely contemporary brands or streetwear brands—will show under the “Design” umbrella.
“We’re merchandising the show floor as we would a retail store,” Seeley explained. “It will make the buyers’ experience easier because all the brands in an area will match and make sense together,” Seeley said. The re-branding will help Pooltradeshow stand out, now that it will share a roof with the MAGIC Marketplace, which, like Pooltradeshow, is owned by Advanstar Communications. “When a buyer comes into our area, there will be no doubt that they are at Pool. We’ll stand out, and we’re keeping our own identity.”
Now that it is literally rubbing elbows with big-brother show MAGIC Marketplace, Pooltradeshow is making a concerted effort to retain its intimate, grass-roots DNA. To that end, Pooltradeshow is debuting the Loop Gallery in January at its headquarters in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood. A play on the Pool name, the Loop Gallery is a 5,000-square-foot space that will be open for use by Pooltradeshow exhibitors for art shows, film screenings, parties and networking. “So much of what is essential and special to Pool happens in the aisles—introductions are made, connections, friendships. We want to encourage that sense of community,” Seeley said. A launch party for the Loop Gallery is scheduled for Jan. 12 and will feature personal art as well as garments from four show exhibitors.
Pooltradeshow was launched in 2001 by Ronda Walker. In 2005, Walker sold the show to MAGIC’s parent company, Advanstar Communications.—Erin Barajas
