ABC Kids Expo Completes First Louisville Show, Looks to 10th Anniversary Celebration in 2012

San Antonio, TX - All Baby & Child, Inc., the parent company and organizer of ABC Kids Expo^®, has released a post-show statement regarding their ninth annual trade show, held for the first time at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, KY, on September 23 - 26, 2011.

Preliminary stats showed an overall decrease of about 2,200 after last year’s record-breaking attendance and a venue change for this year’s show. Retail buyers, mostly from the West Coast, were down by about 400. Final numbers are expected in the next few weeks.

Attendance figures from the Midwest and East Coast, media, government and special services were up from last year. Although slightly less than last year, the number of exhibitors was about 7% higher than at the 2009 show, and net square footage for exhibit space was 4% above the mean for the last three years.

“Most exhibitors we have talked with had good shows. Some indicated that the show was the best ever in terms of order writing and quality of buyer attendance,” according to Larry Schur, president of All Baby & Child, Inc. “We were very pleased to see that our international buyer attendance was the second highest in the event’s history, with 62 countries represented. Total event attendance was down from last year, but it is consistent with prior show years and understandable with the current economy and the number of retailers who have had to close their doors.”

He continues: “While we understand that some found it difficult to get to Louisville and there are always issues to be resolved in moving a show of this magnitude to a new city and a new venue with all new contract suppliers, the issues are easily remedied. We are pleased with the results of the show and the amount of orders it generated for our exhibitors. Retailers indicated that the layout of the show floor by category, all on a single level, made the show easily navigable and was the best in the history of the show.”

Virtually every significant manufacturer or distributor of products for infants and small children exhibits at this private industry event, showcasing their latest products, networking with established customers, and working to land new accounts from among the retailer attendees. Here are some of this year’s exhibitor comments:

Sari Crevin, BooginHead LLC: “This was my 5th year attending the ABC Kids Expo and, although I was initially hesitant about having it in Louisville, the overall experience of being there this year was so much better than Vegas. Not only was the town of Louisville so much more pleasant and reasonable to stay in but, in every way, all the folks involved in working with the vendors for the show, such as the folks that did the cart service, the parking attendants and the hotel staff, were so welcoming and hospitable. I also noticed a change in the buyers that walked the floor this year. Although it felt like there were less buyers in attendance, the quality of the buyers was much higher. These folks came to make purchase decisions, not just look around and decide later. That, in turn, made it a much more successful show for us. I am looking forward to going back next year!”

Karen Casson, Halo Innovations: “Our experience in Louisville was spectacular. From the flawless, friendly, easy set up and breakdown to the food, lodging and southern hospitality we found all over the city, we felt less stressed and more rested to meet the day than we ever have in other cities. And from a business perspective, it was our busiest and most productive show ever.”

Jesse Mills, Lil’ Diner: “What a great show! Definitely the best yet for us.”

Barry Cik, Naturepedic: “The ABC Kids Expo has consistently been the prime vehicle for Naturepedic’s success. From the first show that Naturepedic attended five years ago, where we had one 10’ x 10’ booth, to the 20’ x 40’ booth that we now have, the traffic, interest, and resulting sales from retail buyers has been nothing short of phenomenal. The ABC Kids Expo is the easiest and most efficient way to get introduced and to grow a product line. The ABC Kids Expo is simply a bargain.”

Jane Walter, organicKidz: “Thank you for another great show…It’s BY FAR, the best show we do. We love seeing our retailers every year and building on our other industry relationships as well. At this year’s show, we were thrilled to be able to meet our German, Indonesian and Korean distributors in person! It was great to finally see them on something other than Skype. Without the show, we wouldn’t have had this opportunity. We picked up a few new distributors at the show and had lots of media opportunities as well - so it was a great show for branding purposes…We love ABC Kids Expo!”

Brianne Polidori, The Baby Jogger Company: “We had a great show! Some of our retailers were not able to make it, but it did give us the opportunity to really spend a lot of time with the retailers that were there and help build those relationships.”

Scott Krueger, Westwood Design: “First, I’ve never been to a perfect trade show, but boy, I had fun at this one; wrote a lot of business, found everything to be convenient, and found people who would take care of any problem that came up. Upon our arrival, all freight was sitting neatly arranged on our booth site and nothing was missing or damaged. This made set up really easy. We continuously had people ask if we needed anything. We were not overcharged or ‘tip harassed.’ Freight out was handled efficiently. We had a hoot of a time at some of the downtown restaurants - authentic and not plastic. Also, visited some of the Bardstown Road restaurants. Very cool. Industry party was fun and much better than previous iterations. Hall organization was as good as could be expected…hey, we have a BIG industry. Liked the ‘outside the hall’ arrangements for vendors like testing labs, etc.”

Chet Hong, ZoLi Inc.: “If you’re considering providing products or services into the juvenile space then the ABC Kids Show is the trade fair you have to attend. The show management group is friendly, approachable and knowledgeable and have created a great environment for vendors and buyers alike to meet and engage.”

The 10th Annual ABC Kids Expo will be held in Louisville on October 14 - 17, 2012

Exhibitor registration is already underway, with about half the hall already booked. For registration and information, visit www.theabcshow.com or call the ABC Hotline at (210) 691-4848.

About ABC Kids Expo/All Baby & Child, Inc.
All Baby & Child, Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in March 2003. It is a partnership of juvenile products manufacturers and industry retailers whose primary objective and purpose is to act as a business league that helps organize and produce trade shows and educational conferences for the benefit of juvenile products manufacturers, industry retailers, trade media, distributors and manufacturers’ representatives of juvenile products.