The Biz

The New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF) will be held at the Javits Center August 18-22, 2012. The NYIGF is produced twice annually by GLM Shows and is open to the trade only. Held in January and August in New York City, the Fair hosts 2800 exhibiting companies showcasing lines across the home, lifestyle and gift spectrum. Baby & Child presents 150 resources of innovative, functional and fun products for babies, toddlers, kids and their families. Toys, apparel, accessories, furnishings, gear and juvenile décor will be on display. Box Play for Kids, good seeds, Kiddidoo and Beyond123 will be some of the many brands showing off their product lines.

There are certain brands that are considered “lifestyle” brands: Apple, Harley Davidson and Louis Vuitton for example. These brands evoke a particular image in the mind of the consumer. This image speaks to the type of person who uses these brands. We are told what they like to do, what they value and even the places they like to go. There’s no question that these companies have a delineated voice that expresses quite distinctly who they are to the public and how they relate. Not every brand has a clear voice, and those that don’t suffer for it.

For years, the symbiotic relationship between companies and unpaid interns was routine. Although they worked alongside paid employees, and often performed tasks required of the paid employees, interns were not paid, and they did not (outwardly) complain about their arrangement. Unfortunately for employers, in many cases unpaid interns are entitled to wages for the hours they work, and even more problematically, are beginning to file and participate in lawsuits to get what they are owed. Each day, employers see the effects of workers and their attorneys aggressively pursuing unpaid wages under federal and state wage and hour laws…

Kidz On Safari is a North American-based company designed to bring the African Safari experience to the Western world. Kidz On Safari realizes that very few North American children have the opportunity to go on an African safari. They want to give these children a chance to vicariously enjoy such an adventure, and interact with their favorite animals in the comfort and safety of their own home. Their casual eco-friendly clothing, plush toys, educational DVDs and music CDs provide an immersive global experience that opens children’s eyes to the diverse wildlife and experience of an African safari.