The New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF) plans a strategic reorganization of its annual New York event, comprising a series of considered changes to product categories and layout to be implemented over the next three years.

Called "Focus Forward NYIGF 2013," this transformation comes in response to a changing market and changing attendee needs, said Dorothy Belshaw, NYIGF director and GLM SVP during a press conference held Monday at New York's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. "Times of financial uncertainty demand change," she said. "Retail consolidation, a slow economic recovery and cautious buying habits have changed the way the industry does business."

The reorganization will result in the creation of four comprehensive market collections -- NYIGF Home, NYIGF Lifestyle, NYIGF Handmade, and NYIGF New! -- each with defined and carefully edited product categories.
• NYIGF Home will encompass home furnishings, home textiles, decorative accessories, tabletop, gourmet housewares and Accent on Design;
• NYIGF Handmade will include designer-maker and global resources;
• NYIGF Lifestyle will present personal care and wellness, gift and stationery, fashion accessories, and Baby + Child (a new juried category debuting in summer 2010);
• NYIGF New! will feature New York's Newest.

The changes are engineered to expand resources, spotlight new product and innovation to best advantage, and create cross-marketing opportunities.

"This strategic reorganization will enhance NYIGF's position as the premier U.S. home, gift and lifestyle market, and will strengthen show performance for buyers and exhibitors alike," said Belshaw. "By improving category adjacencies, refining existing offerings and introducing new in-demand product categories, NYIGF will offer comprehensive and trend-forward product collections for home, lifestyle, and gift in a clear, navigable and energized layout."

Beginning in 2010, and culminating at the summer 2013 event, temporary and permanent NYIGF floor plan changes will align with planned construction and renovation of New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center -- the home of NYIGF since 1986. The transformation of the Javits Center will include installation of a new green roof, the largest of its kind in New York City; construction of the new Javits Center North, which extends the building north to 40th Street; and major renovations to building systems, skylights and roof.

Initial changes, which will take effect in the summer of 2010, will include the introduction of a new juried category, Baby + Child, for upscale baby and children's products; reorganization of the existing Handmade division to more effectively define and showcase designer-maker craft and global resources categories; and the reintroduction of New York's Newest at Pier 92.

Within its new Baby + Child category, NYIGF will present a collection of well-designed, sophisticated and purpose-driven products for babies, toddlers and kids (through age 10), and their families. The range of featured products will include arts and crafts, books, music, toys, games, puzzles, dolls and plush, gear (diaper bags, stroller accessories and feeding accessories), wearables and accessories, layette, bedding accessories, and blankets. Ultimately, NYIGF expects Baby + Child to feature approximately 200 companies on Level One of the convention center.

Beginning in summer 2010, NYIGF's Handmade will present two distinct categories of handcrafted merchandise: Designer Maker and Global Resources. NYIGF Handmade: Designer Maker will include 360 designer-makers from across the United States and around the world; and Handmade: Global Resources will include 200 imported resources featuring traditional designs and craftsmanship, and fair-trade production from around the world.

New York's Newest, showcasing companies new to the New York market, will be reintroduced to NYIGF in summer 2010 at pier 92, and will feature 200 newcomers to the Fair.

NYIGF is a national gift, home and lifestyle marketplace, with 2,700 exhibiting companies and approximately 31,000 attendees from all 50 states, and more than 85 countries worldwide.

In summer 2010, NYIGF runs Saturday, Aug. 14, through Thursday, Aug. 19, at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Passenger Ship Terminal Piers 92 and 94.

The NYIGF summer 2013 floor plan is available online at
http://www.nyigf.com/Home/FocusForward2013/Summer2013Schematic.aspx