News

The Summer 2021 Atlanta Market experienced better than projected attendance and reports of record-breaking shows across its home and gift collections at the closing of its seven-day run, July 13-19, 2021 at AmericasMart Atlanta.

Market Details

“Atlanta Market was exactly what buyers and sellers needed right now,” said Bob Maricich, CEO for International Market Centers (IMC). “The buzz about market quickly traveled through the industry, and the brands and buyers who did not attend were really feeling like they missed out. We’re confident that their need to be a part of Atlanta Market will accelerate the growth of the Winter Market in 2022.”

Pent-up demand for inventory led to aggressive buying by retailers and designers. Upticks in Key Account attendance – with nearly 100 top retailers  – also sparked high-volume orders.

Buyers from all market verticals – Gift, Home Décor and Apparel – were well represented with growth in all three categories over the Winter 2021 staging. Attendees hailed from all 50 states, with notable growth from the midwest and continued recovery of international traffic with buyers from some 36 countries.

Overall, the Summer 2021 Atlanta Market well outpaced the Winter 2021 staging, growing by nearly 55% in attendance and ultimately beating IMC’s pre-market projections with more than 85% of the Summer 2019 turnout.

Market Experiences

Many retailers and designers chose Atlanta Market as their first market after a pandemic hiatus or as their first market ever.

“Coming back to the Atlanta Mart has felt like a homecoming,” said Jorge Gonzalez, buyer and general merchandising manager for Draeger’s HOME & Market with four stores in California. “The safety measures and the graciousness of the Atlanta Market staff has left me with a smile on my face an incredible hope for the future of our business and brick and mortar stores!”

Tammy Lopez and Maddie Morden of Personify Shop in Duluth, GA posted on Instagram, “I think this was our most successful week at Atlanta Market yet! So fun to see our reps and brands that we haven’t seen in a while. We wrote about 75 orders… I cannot wait for all of the new to start trickling into (or pouring might be more accurate) the store… This holiday season is going to be [on] fire!”

Atlanta Market’s exhibitors felt the impact of buyers getting back to business with a surge in order writing that resulted in many record shows. Buyers sourced from 8,000+ lines showing gift, gourmet, home décor, juvenile, lifestyle, personal care, stationery, tabletop and more including 1,000+ in the temporary exhibits, which doubled over the Winter 2021 staging. The market’s 1,000+ gift and home décor showrooms featured nearly 60 new, relocated or expanded brands.

“The market has been spectacular,” said Peter Schauben, principal of Appelman Schauben (representing 68 lifestyle lines). “It is amazing to see IMC’s vision for Atlanta Next come to life at this market.”

Brands from across Atlanta Market’s categories had record breaking shows. Hali Vradelis, national sales director of Vietri reported “our biggest day of sales ever – and not by a small margin!”

Atlanta Market also presented an opportunity for brands to return to in-person events. “This was our first time exhibiting in a trade show in 18 months!” said Henry Cornell of M. Cornell. “We greatly missed the personal interaction with customers during that 1.5 years. There simply is no substitute for personally meeting customers. Atlanta is back and we’re so grateful!” 

Market Events

The staging of at-Market events – by IMC, exhibitors and industry organizations – created a buzz around the market.

Market Kick-Off Party

The Market Kick-Off party was a standing-room-only event where attendees mixed and mingled, many for the first time in more than a year. Tastemaker Danny Seo brought the Demonstration Kitchen back to life with an engaging presentation and tasting of healthy desserts. Throughout the three-building campus, vignettes of Market Snapshot and LOUIES finalists and photo-ops – featuring sayings like “Growing My Business with Atlanta Market,” “Sweeter than Peachtree” and “Market is the Only Language I Speak” – were hits with hundreds of social media posts.

Exhibitor Events

Exhibitor events also returned including a progressive buying experience hosted by Ben Tally, Kitchen 2 Table and The Ryan Group; a ribbon cutting celebration for the lobby-level Currey & Company showroom; a retail and design Q&A in Norwalk Furniture; a 75th anniversary celebration for Werner Frank; and more.

Industry Groups

Industry groups gathering included the Gift and Home Trade Association (GHTA) and Culinary Futures.

Gift For Life’s Feed the Hungry, Feel the Good campaign raised more than $40,000 for World Central Kitchen.

The Winter 2022 Atlanta Market is scheduled to take place Jan. 11-18, 2022 (temporary exhibits Jan. 12-16). For more information, visit AtlantaMarket.com.