FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact:
Amy Dufour – 678-285-0597
E: Amy@marshmeadowsmarketing.com
UPSCALE PRODUCT SELECTION, ELEVATED BUYING EXPERIENCE DRAW RETAILERS TO FEBRUARY 2014
SAN FRANCISO INTERNATIONAL GIFT FAIR
ATLANTA (February 28, 2014) – The February 15-18, 2014 edition of the San Francisco International Gift Fair delivered
an elevated buying experience to western region and national buyers in attendance, including an upscale selection of
contemporary gift and home products, buyer friendly amenities and a newly redesigned show floor that positioned the
show’s Design and Home & Garden sections to the forefront.
“The San Francisco International Gift Fair continues to be ‘top-of-mind’ for many top regional and national buyers when
it comes to finding unique, innovative and upscale products for their stores,” said Doug Miller, president, Urban
Expositions. “The improvements that the show team has made to the overall product selection and the ease at which
buyers can easily identify product on the show floor is gaining noticeable attention from the retailers in attendance. As
an organizer, we couldn’t be more pleased with the feedback we’ve received thus far about the winter edition.”
The Urban Expositions sales team reconfigured the overall show floor layout -- moving the Design and Home & Garden
sections to the center of the show floor to create a seamless experience for finding resources for both indoors and out.
In addition, the team continues to expand the exhibitor base, adding more top name and innovative resources with each
successful show. The February 2014 edition brought together thousands of lines conveniently organized into 11 product
sectors on the show floor, including: Gifts , American-Made Handcrafted, Design, Home & Garden, Museum, Personal
Style, Tabletop, Gourmet & Housewares, Treasures to Go, Village Arts, Vintage Collection and World Style Handcrafted.
The vast and versatile selection received rave reviews from attending retailers.
“The San Francisco International Gift Fair is my new 'go-to' show for museum-quality gift items that are just not available
at the souvenir shows. It has been permanently added to my trade show schedule,” said John Fasino, purchasing
manager, Western National Parks Association, Tucson, AZ.
"I really like the atmosphere of this show -easier pace and layout. I always find things here for some reason that I missed
at the other shows preceding SFIGF,” said David Amos, The Mark Anthony Group, Vancouver, BC.
"Returning after a long hiatus from the San Francisco International Gift Fair, I have to say it was very exciting to see the
vast improvements Urban has put in place. I found the buying experience elevated to another level with high quality
home furnishings, unique and distinctive gifts to fill my needs and round out my product selection before my season
begins. Very impressive!" adds Edward Delgado, director of retail, ARAMARK Olympic National Park, Port Angeles, WA.
(more)
San Francisco International Gift Fair Feb 2014 Post Show Report/page 2
"I really enjoyed shopping the San Francisco International Gift Fair. I found great things for the Aquarium, the Creative
Discovery Museum and the Hunter Museum of Art. I’m especially happy with the wonderful jewelry I found along with
the fair trade and US-made merchandise for all stores,” said Tim Murray, retail buyer, Tennessee Aquarium, Creative
Discovery Museum and Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN.
Exhibitor reports of brisk order-writing and new business added to the buzz on the show floor:
“I am pleased to say that we made our normal sales for the entire three and a half days in just in 5 hours of selling on the
first day of the show,” adds Ricardo Sison, Verbena Chocolat. “I am delighted!”
“Buyers on the show floor seemed optimistic and our average order was up during the winter edition,” said Fritz Renner,
FT Renner Company.
Urban Expositions continued many of its buyer friendly services, including a parking/transportation rebate program,
complimentary coffee each morning in the buyer’s lounge, and a top-notch buyer education program. Retailers were
able to attend free seminar presentations on a host of topics, including Pinterest and social media marketing, inventory
planning and management, and other retail efficiency topics.
The next edition of the San Francisco International Gift Fair will be held August 2-5, 2014 at the Moscone Center – North
Hall & Esplanade. The Urban Expositions management team is already working on programs and promotions to ensure
the show’s continued growth. Urban will continue to strengthen and expand the show’s Design, Museum and
Handcrafted divisions as well as invest a significant part of the show’s marketing budget to buy down hotel rates and
quality properties to once again offer retailers significant travel savings.
Exhibitor/Attendee Information
For more information on exhibiting, contact Leanna John at 678.370.0330 or ljohn@urban-expo.com. For information
on attending, contact Briana Mackey at 678.831.4573 or bmackey@urban-expo.com or Jhana Jordan at 678.370.0338 or
jjordan@urban-expo.com.
ABOUT URBAN EXPOSITIONS
Urban Expositions is the largest gift, airport retail and souvenir trade show organizer in the U.S., hosting a total of 33
shows each year. In January of 1996, Urban Expositions launched the semi-annual Philadelphia Gift Show, which has
become one of the largest and most successful regional gift events in the nation. Since then, the company has continued
to grow through acquisitions and new show development. Based in Kennesaw, GA, Urban Expositions offers a complete
roster of trade show management services, including exhibit sales and marketing, operations, exhibitor/ attendee
promotions and services, media relations, seminar and event coordination, database development and management.
For more information, visit www.urban-expo.com or call 800.318.2238
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