Tradeshow organizer GLM will launch a first-of-its-kind artisan production-sourcing event for U.S.-based importers, direct import retailers and wholesalers in August .
Presented semi-annually alongside the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF), this new trade event also will offer programming for exhibitors and attendees, including seminars on topics such as importing basics, freight on board (FOB) pricing, customs, warehousing and distribution.
Artisan Resource will offer a new market to juried overseas artisan enterprises offering handmade production resources and products, at export terms from each country of origin. Artisan Resource exhibitors will be carefully selected for their proven experience in meeting export demands, and by their commitment to design innovation, cultural preservation, social enterprise and sustainability. Participating exhibitors will hail from countries including Afghanistan, Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Mexico, Nepal, Peru, Philippines, South Africa and West Africa. Some 50 companies are expected to participate in the inaugural show.
“This is an exciting new opportunity to broaden the scope of the New York International Gift Fair by offering a platform to a new segment of the gift and home distribution channel,” said Dorothy Belshaw, NYIGF director and GLM senior vice president. “Artisan Resource will efficiently and affordably facilitate a stronger pipeline of global artisanal craft into mainstream U.S. distribution.”
Artisan Resource attendees will include import buyers representing large and volume retail stores, national retail chains, mail order catalogues, wholesaler companies and manufacturers, designers and sourcing agents. Attendance will be credential-based, as buyers will be required to handle FOB pricing.
The first semi-annual edition of Artisan Resource will be presented Monday, Aug. 20, through Wednesday, Aug. 22, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Center; and the second semi-annual edition will be held Monday, Jan. 28, through Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, at the Passenger Ship Terminal’s Pier 92 in New York City.
In advance of the show’s opening, there will be two days of exhibitor education, U.S. market-readiness training and New York market familiarization.
The show will be managed by GLM and organized with the assistance of ByHand Consulting, a decade-old business offering product design, marketing and training expertise to help artisan enterprises reach new export markets, and to help U.S. buyers source artisan products.
Additional information and registration is available online.
