Big Changes
The future looks bright for February’s Las Vegas trade shows.
Come next February, the geography for the various trade shows in Las Vegas will be redrawn and retooled to give the scene a fresh feel.
Several changes are afoot to make browsing through the thousands of booths scattered throughout the various apparel and auxiliary shows easier and even more expansive.
The biggest news is that the MAGIC Marketplace, held primarily at the Las Vegas Convention Center, is shifting some of its shows down the road to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
Project Global Trade Show, the premium-denim and contemporary apparel show under the MAGIC umbrella, is moving from the Sands Expo & Convention Center to the ground floor of the Mandalay. MAGIC’s MAGIC Menswear, S.L.A.T.E. (which showcases streetwear, skatewear and surfwear), Premium@MAGIC and Street sections will move from the Las Vegas Convention Center to the second floor of the Mandalay in an area referred to as the men’s campus.
Originally founded in 1942 as a small menswear show in Palm Springs, Calif., MAGIC has grown to encompass men’s and women’s apparel, footwear and accessories, childrenswear, swimwear, and sourcing resources for apparel makers.
“For the past year, we’ve all been very focused on the economy and reinventing our businesses, but we can never forget that inspiration is at the heart of our industry,” said Chris DeMoulin, president of MAGIC International and executive vice president of Advanstar Fashion Group, in a statement.
In addition, MAGIC will be launching FN Platform, a new show for men’s, women’s and children’s shoes. It is a collaboration between Advanstar, owner of the MAGIC trade shows; Fairchild Fashion Group; and Footwear News.
But the MAGIC Marketplace, whose next exhibition will be held Feb. 16–18, isn’t the only apparel show in town making a few tweaks to its events.
A host of other apparel venues, from lingerie show CurveNV to Accessories The Show, are also undergoing transformations.Bargain basement
For years, the Off-Price Specialist Show was a peripatetic event that moved from tents set up in hotel parking lots to hotel ballrooms until finally ending up at the Sands Expo & Convention Center, where last season more than 1,000 booths exhibited goods ranging from premium denim and graphic tees to eveningwear and accessories.
Always on the move, Off-Price will be relocating from the ground floor of the convention center to the next floor up in August 2010 to take over the space once occupied by Project. “In August, we will be getting extra space, a minimum of 30 percent more, which should make our vendors happy. They will have more frontage,” said David Lapidos, senior vice president of Off-Price Specialist. “We’ve been waiting a long time to increase our presence. hellip; We will be at the new space a minimum of five shows.”
Meanwhile, Off-Price is adding a few amenities to its Feb. 14–17 exhibition. First, it will have an on-site factor, Chicago-based Crestmark Bank, which can help vendors to quickly verify the credit-worthiness of buyers right away. “This will provide vendors on-site information right away,” Lapidos said.
In addition to instant credit checks, the Off-Price organizers are subsidizing a $5 lunch for all show buyers and attendees, who will be able to buy a bargain lunch at the local food court. “All the world loves a bargain,” Lapidos observed, paraphrasing William Shakespeare.Next door
Nearby at The Venetian, three trade shows organized by Business Journals Inc. will see added features. MRket, a better menswear show, will introduce a contemporary/luxe section called Vanguard running with its other shows Feb. 16–18. “Vanguard was created as a progressive extension of MRket and will showcase a select group of contemporary/luxe brands in its own separate environment of the show floor,” said Beth Cowperthwaite, a company spokesperson.
The other two shows organized by Business Journals Inc.—Accessories The Show and the ready-wear Moda Las Vegas—have seen strong vendor participation, prompting an expansion plan that should be in place by August 2010. “We are continuing to evolve the look of the shows and will be introducing new design elements next year, like new carpet colors and some new details to the booth packages,” Cowperthwaite said. Lingerie world
CurveNV, the lingerie and swimwear show launched in 2007 by CurveExpo Inc. in Connecticut, is expecting more vendors to participate in its Feb. 16–18 show at The Venetian. Next season, buyers will find it easier to navigate the exhibition’s ballrooms, which will have different carpet colors. Black carpeting will define the “contemporary” section of daywear and sleepwear brands. White carpet will denote men’s and intimate fashion brands, and light gray carpeting will be in the ballroom housing foundations and corsetry labels, said Jean-Luc Teinturier, CurveExpo’s president.WWIN stays strong, ASAP considers future
WomensWear in Nevada, also known as WWIN, is staying the course with its show, which comprises 820 booths in 160,000 square feet at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. “We use every inch of space we have,” said Roland Timney, WWIN’s show manager.
Timney said only about 60 or 70 booths turn over from show to show at WWIN, which caters to buyers from specialty stores, catalogs, cruise shops and resorts. Next season, the show runs Feb. 15–18 with complimentary box lunches for buyers and a wine and cheese event from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday. “Buyers love our show,” Timney said.
One Las Vegas trade show still undecided about whether to return next February is the ASAP Global Sourcing Show. The long-running event, last held at The Venetian, hasn’t determined whether to return after low attendance in August. “We still haven’t decided what we are going to do in February,” said Jerome Yuan, director of operations. “We’ll probably make a decision closer to the end of the year.”
ASAP Global Sourcing has faced stiff competition from the Sourcing section at the MAGIC Marketplace.
