With recent shows keeping us all really busy these past few weeks, it’s time to stop for a minute, and catch our breaths. It’s also a good time to reflect upon what the shows meant to the people in the industry who made it all happen, and what we can learn from this experience this time around.

First of all, the biggest lesson learned was that the sky is not falling, in spite of anything the doomsday pundits bandy about. That’s right, it’s not the economic meltdown we’ve been hearing so much about, at least not in the wholesale business. After watching the event center at The Sands Expo & Convention Center fill up with eager buyers and sellers, it was pretty clear that nobody was going to simply stand around and watch while nothing happened. On the contrary, it was a spectacular display of selling momentum!

The theme of the show should have “healthy order-writing,” because that’s what was going on there. With 128 new booths, and more than 46 new exhibitors on site, everyone was not only ready to make sales happen, but quite thankful to show coordinators for securing such a great new venue for future shows to be held at. David Lapidos, Executive Vice President of the OFFPRICE Show, said “High ceilings, fabulous lights, all the vendors were happy, and the buyers couldn’t be happier! It was very gratifying to receive feedback from everyone on how much they love their new home at the The Sands Expo & Convention Center. According to sources, many of the buyers are now calling them “The Promotional MAGIC,” he enthusiastically explained.

Something to consider about the show’s success was that two major sources of buyers made the event quite distinct. There were buyers from the international front, who showed up from places like  Canada, Mexico, and even countries as far away as New Zealand. These buyers were evidence of strong interest in the products on display, from over 400 representatives hailing from countries outside the USA. However, the buyers from the domestic side were also doing quite a bit to promote the environment, as the largest off price and discount retailers were well represented at the show, and smaller independent retailers made up a majority of those who were on the floor during the event, constituting the most growth in the OFFPRICE buyer community.

Upcoming OFFPRICE events with confirmed dates include:

A TASTE OF OFFPRICE (at LA Majors Market)

October 4-6, 2010

Exhibit Hall, California Market Center

Los Angles

OFFPRICE

February 13-16, 2011

Sands Expo & Convention Center

Las Vegas

A TASTE OF OFFPRICE (at NY Market Week)

May 1-3, 2011

Gotham Hall

New York

Show organizers enjoyed enormous support from the national chains, but it was interesting to see how the smaller companies were doing their part to promote better-recognized products at a lower price. The OFFPRICE Show helps not only the biggest chains to retain their visibility in a competitive market, but also to help the smaller ones to establish themselves and become a driving force in the business as well. Perhaps with the cost of manufacturing overseas resulting in tighter inventories, it’s rewarding to know that the big guys can count on the OFFPRICE Show as a great alternative for their buying needs.”