When the Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market’s closing bell sounded last week, the show had posted huge gains across all measures, with national and international attendance and first-to-market buyer totals.
On-site registrations for the eight-day market in Atlanta showed healthy year-over-year gains with increases as high as 53 percent posted on key attendance days. Preliminary hotel occupancy reports indicated an increase in the average length of stay per attendee to 4.2 days, the highest recorded since 2006, according to show organizers.
Growth posted in all national regions beyond the show’s principal Southeast base – including the Midwest and West – plus international beyond the Americas, delivered global buying power to exhibitors across all product categories in showrooms and trade show booths.
The market’s first-time buyer total – those who have never attended any previous Atlanta markets – saw high double-digit increases. Meanwhile, reports from exhibitors throughout the market, across showrooms and trade show booths, echoed strong sales – more orders, larger orders, from new and returning accounts, show organizers reported.
Powering momentum throughout the market was the new AmericasMart app, which made its debut and, according to iTunes, was among the 10 most popular apps in all business-to-business categories.
AmericasMart Atlanta is the nation’s only global wholesale marketplace housing the world’s single-largest collection of home, gift, area rug and apparel merchandise. The largest of AmericasMart’s 14 annual markets and shows are The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market and The Atlanta International Area Rug Market in January and July. Located in downtown Atlanta, the AmericasMart complex contains more than seven million square feet of space.
