The NY NOW® Summer 2019 market opened with strong attendance and a fresh new vibrancy and excitement on the show floor; buyers were welcomed with live music, the debut of a global fashion show, and hospitalities that drew buyers into discover an energized market and a packed opening night party.
This summer market provided a dramatically elevated buying experience with a curated collection showcasing 2,300+ exhibitors presenting many thousands of brands. More than 350 totally new exhibitors and 465 exclusive to NY NOW product launches.
“The NY NOW summer market continued redefining the attendee experience with an ongoing focus on the retail renaissance that is well underway,” said Kevin O’Keefe, EVP, Emerald Expositions. “NY NOW is and will be the market that everyone is watching from show to show to see what the future of retail looks like and they’re not going to want to miss it,” continued Kevin O’Keefe. Many new exciting features and events were introduced that provided current market information of real value; from industry leaders along with new networking opportunities for attendees of all types.
Some experiences and events included
The first ever Fashion Runway at NY NOW – curated by Farai Simoyi, the global leader of international fashion and celebrity fashion house consultant. Models visited the booths of brands that participated in the runway and carried signs throughout the event that encouraged everyone to “ask them who they were wearing.” Transcend Talks – providing the absolute latest on social media best practices, real trend views from the leaders in retail and design, how to run a business and be financially successful, to inspirational stories about the passions that helped some speakers launch their businesses, and many more.
Transcend Showcase Displays – where Robin Baron, from Robin Baron Design, Inc. worked with top industry designers Steven Favreau, Michael Tavano, Beth Diana Smith, Kiyonda Powell, Bjorn Bjornsson, Benjamin Huntington, Amal Kapen, and Joan Ravasay to create four Transcend spaces providing attendees with provocative displays of what inspirational experience looks like.
Holiday House NYC @ NY NOW featured six top designers led by Iris Dankner. Bringing to life the Holiday House onto the show floor to showcase the different lifestyle that can be created with products from brands while also celebrating life events and raising funds with the NY NOW Cares Silent Auction Campaign to benefit breast cancer research.
NY NOW Awards Night – where all the winners of the “Best New Product” Awards at Summer Market were honored, together with the inaugural Renaissance Retailer winner Cooper Boone from Foundry 42+, NY NOW Legacy Award winner Ron Robinson from Ron Robinson, Inc. Plus, the 10 retailers to watch, and long time achievement awards to Karen Alweil, from Karen Alweil Studios and Michael Aram.
Exhibitor Quotes
RUSTICO
“The quality of buyers at NY NOW is phenomenal! We have everyone here from little boutiques that are just down the street to designers and fashion retailers, all sorts of different buyers that walk into our booth every single day to check out the products. NY NOW is fantastic to find new buyers, I’d say 50 percent of the orders we wrote were for new customers. We’ve also got a lot of great accounts that are loyal, who come back and reorder here and throughout the year…”
Kerri Rosenthal, Kerri Rosenthal Designs
“We launched our wholesale collection at the NY NOW Winter market this year, and from the second the doors opened, we were flooded with people until the second the doors closed, and 35 shops later, we are in 35 amazing retail partners, and this show is helping us take it to the next level. By the end of this summer market we’re looking to have 60, and I think we’ll get there! it’s been unreal. We didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. And it’s because of NY NOW. It’s high end, more like a European trade show, where there’s things going on everywhere, we turn. It’s more exciting. We’re seeing a big California retailer presence and we’re thrilled!”
Tommy Mitchell, Owner – Tommy Mitchell Company
“I have been exhibiting at NY NOW twice a year for the past eight years and I keep coming back because it’s a very successful show for me. I always meet new customers and I have a lot of my repeat business here and overall it’s just a great show. The attendance has been really good this market and we’ve had a wonderful show. I’ll definitely be coming back. NY NOW is very important to my business.”
Djalin – Indonesian Pavilion
“Djalin is a furniture design company based in Indonesia. We design chairs and accessories made from wood, ratan, and metal works. This is our second time exhibiting at NY NOW. For us, NY NOW has had a global impact! The attendees interested in our products are retail stores, wholesalers, and even some opportunity for hospitality clients from hotel chains in Australia and the US. We are meeting new buyers as well as seeing our existing customers. The most important part is to connect with buyers, especially to display our newest designs and keep innovating and expanding our business in US.”
Attendee Quotes
Cooper Boone, Owner – Foundry 42+
“NY NOW is a huge part of our sourcing. It’s convenient for us, and I also love how NY NOW is going into this new level. They’re re-imagining the show and getting very creative, so they’re listening too. They get it, and they’re changing their programs. This market has been markedly different, and I think really improved and very buyer friendly. There’s an excitement in the air, so I love the direction that they’re going in. It’s nice to see familiar faces. But I also try challenge myself and go into booths that I necessarily wouldn’t, to push myself to being open, and I find some really lovely surprises. Coming to NY NOW really enables me to find new vendors as well as continue the relationships with my ongoing vendors, and that makes a difference for me. It’s a very efficient show as a buyer.”
Ricki Rubin Senior Merchant of POPSUGAR
“I’m delighted in discovering exciting brands and products that weren’t on my radar as I am always on the hunt for something new. Not to mention the value in reconnecting with my existing brand partners, where we could dream up new concepts. Thrilled I attended this year!”
Patrick Priori, Chief Merchandising Officer – Paper Source
“This is my eighth time coming to NY NOW. It’s an important show for Paper Source for the amount of exhibitors. It’s the biggest show, the biggest venue in the biggest city. My team and I spend at least three days at NY NOW. We meet new people and find new products that we’ve never seen before, and as a buyer, that’s the most important thing for our business, to have new product to show the customer. Every time I’ve come to NY NOW, something new is happening. It’s a good barometer of what’s happening in the industry, and to see what other buyers are reacting to, or what the new exhibitors are offering. It will always be important because it’s in New York, which is really the heart of retail, so it will always be an important destination for us.”
Mark your calendar for NY NOW’s Winter 2020 Market – February 1-5, 2020 – as the retail renaissance continues with exciting brands and new products plus new onsite experiences and networking events at the NY NOW market.
NY NOW’s “Best New Product” Awards recognize and celebrate the extraordinary product offerings from exhibitors across the market. Hundreds of exhibitors entered the awards and one winner was chosen from each of the eleven sections within the Home, Lifestyle and Handmade Collections currently on display in the Jacob K Javits Convention Center.
