Content area
Full text
EVEN IN A TEMPERAMENTAL ECONOMY, PROJECT Global Tradeshows gives no signs of scaling back, particularly its Las Vegas venture.
Producing its fourth event under the ownership of Advanstar Communications, Project plans to devote 60 percent more vendor space to the show floor at the Sands Expo Convention Center for the Aug. 28-30 edition. To help fill out its venue, Project is launching a kids' category and relying on vendors' own booth expansions.
Lest industry observers worry that Project's growth is compromising its cachet, show organizers aren't skimping when it comes to atmosphere in the form of art exhibits, marketing sponsors and parties galore to cater to its booming roster of buyers, which is expected to reach 18,000, a 25 percent jump from February's event. About 25 percent of the attendees will hail from abroad, including from Europe and Japan. That global interest and hunger for American contemporary fashions is just one more reason justifying the show's expansion, according to Project's president and founder, Sam Ben-Avraham.
"This [contemporary category] is the best-selling segment in retail today, which naturally makes for greater interest, new companies, new brands, new products and a lot more buyers that want product for their stores," he said.
The show will cover about 290,000 square feet, up from 180,000 square feet at the previous event. About 600 vendors will occupy the floor, representing a 25 percent increase from February. They will showcase men's and women's clothing, accessories and footwear brands such as Converse and Frye. Women's products will account for 35 percent of the merchandise, Ben-Avraham said. New to the mix is the debut of kids' clothing from about 19 contemporary brands, including Chip & Pepper Kids, C&C California, Diesel Kids, Seven For All Mankind Kids and Obey.
"[Kids] is a natural progression" for the show, said Ben-Avraham, who is also the owner of three Atrium boutiques in New York and New Jersey. "Customers who crave the product expect the same options for the kids in their lives. And, it's happening at retail as we speak. Stores like Kitson, Scoop and Atrium are opening freestanding shops specific to kids."
Known for its jeans-and-T-shirt vibe, Project is remaining true to...