Trade Show News

{Sponsored} Timing couldn’t be more perfect for holiday orders during The Greeting Card Association’s (GCA’s) new event for the greeting card community and by the greeting card community: Noted: The Greeting Card Expo^SM. The event will debut at the Brooklyn Expo Center, May 18 – 20, 2019.

“Most greeting card publishers release new lines for the year in late spring and early summer, so buyers attending Noted get a chance to see the newest designs

and styles from their favorite designers, as well as new and emerging publishers, while also buying for Christmas,” said George White, president and COO, Up With Paper and GCA’s vice president and co-chair for Noted.

Both established and up-and-coming publishers may have space at this new community event. Noted is centered around a lounge which will be ringed by community tables and 6’x3’ exhibit spaces, where publishers will exhibit their product. Some publishers will have slightly larger exhibit spaces — mostly 10’x10’ — with a few larger spaces throughout the floor.

The GCA chose to limit the square footage that exhibitors could purchase, which White said will “level the playing field.” This event is all about networking and keeping sight lines open will help prevent it from being all about the breathtaking displays at traditional trade shows and instead will focus on products, designs and making connections within the industry.

“The vibe is different than trade shows. We consider it to be a community event — for the greeting card community, by the greeting card community,” White said.

Up With Paper, in a combined space with UWP Luxe, will be releasing a new line

that combines paper engineering and electronics in a never-before-seen format. It also will debut new designs in some existing lines.

Hilariously irreverent cards will be on display at Offensive + Delightful. These cards feature trends from decorative swears, political statements, new ways to tell those in your life that you care — and everything in between. The art combines script and painted capital letters with photos and art to create cheeky cards in a pretty package.

Paper Epiphanies features letterpress as its art with text-based designs on crisp white tree-free paper. The cards range from sympathy to break-up, graduation to weddings and any other occasion for sending a card imaginable. As a women-empowering business, Paper Epiphanies recently launched “The 4th Trimester,” a collection of cards for new mothers. They also have a for-benefit line, Kiss My Pumps, comprising office products with statements for boss women. A portion of proceeds from the line are donated to Girl Up, a campaign of the United Nations Foundation.

Well-established publishers such as Papyrus will be there, too. Its vivid art will be on display, with new gemmed and quilled cards plus holiday cards in unique combinations of materials and styles.

Other notable exhibitors already booked include A Smyth Co., Avanti, Hallmark, Paper Barista, Quilling Card, Rhino Parade, Seedlings and Tay Ham.

A low exhibit cost with all-in pricing, unique spaces, and more predictable ROI round out the show. “This means that publishers know going in how much they will spend with no surprises,” said White. “Electric, lunch each day, a ticket to the 30th Annual LOUIE Awards and trade show survival essentials like snacks and water are all included. One of our goals is bringing the humanity back to a trade show environment,” he said. This cost model means that buyers will have the chance to see publishers that normally wouldn’t attend trade shows.

At the time of press, nearly 50% of the show floor was already booked. To learn more about Noted, visit www.notedexpo.org.

© 2019 The Greeting Card Association