The Shows

For those in North America, the Playtime New York show is the one of the biggest events of the year where designers, toy-makers and retailers all come together to display their latest creations and network with others in the business. This year, Playtime New York took place August 1st-3rd at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan. As always, Playtime featured well-established businesses as well as new arrivals from around the world. Finkelstein’s, Ultra Violet, tinycottons and Oli & Carol are among the notable companies that were in attendance at this season’s show.

New York’s Javit’s Center rocked the 2015 ENK International Children’s Club from March 1 through 3, 2015. Over fifty brands displayed collections for the first time and there were showings by a large number of both new and international collections. Everything for kids was on view for an enthusiastic crowd of buyers, editors and bloggers as more than 650 exhibitors convened to display their wares. To further delight the crowd, prodigy DJ Fussyman was on hand to spin the turntables. Holly Hastie, Oogoolz, Shampoodle, and Charabia are a few of the brands that exhibited at the most recent Children’s Club NYC.

Buyers at the KIDShow Vegas, held February 17-19th at Bally’s, were able to discover lots of new exhibitors and brands, as well as proven favorites that always support this show because they can rely on it to come through with new doors, plus opportunities to enhance existing retailer relationships. The event’s hospitality and buyer-friendly atmosphere is always welcoming. After attending every KIDShow for almost 15 years, I was particularly pleased to meet new people that charged my professional battery for the health of the children’s fashion industry, and new brands with something both worthy to offer and be discovered by specialty stores looking for their next buzzworthy line.

New York isn’t the only place for amazing trade shows. At this time of year, it makes sense to head south! The Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market is an impressive forum for new and established businesses of all kinds to introduce their products and court new customers. This year’s show brought out hundreds of vendors and thousands of guests, setting new records for sales volume. In such a large venue that features businesses from so many industries, it takes a lot for a children’s product vendor to stand out. Indy Plush, Zoocchini, Paper Punk and Just Born all made their mark on the Atlanta scene this year.