Summer Atlanta Market helps retailers get back to business

Atlanta Market kicks off the summer market season with new dates and a modified format that will allow retailers and designers to source needed new product during their recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. The 2020 summer market will be staged August 13-18, 2020, at AmericasMart Atlanta, with buying across its complete product collection alongside introduction of new enhanced safety protocols.  “With renewed strength and focus, we are moving forward to help our community get back to business,” said Bob Maricich, CEO for International Market Centers (IMC). “While it is going to feel like a different type of market in Atlanta, the purpose remains the same: to connect the right buyers and the right sellers at the right time.”

Renewed Resources

Atlanta Market’s 1,000+ showrooms are set to be open throughout the six-day August market. The Gift collection – with general gift merchandise and specialty categories such as gourmet, housewares, tabletop, outdoor living, juvenile and seasonal – is presented on 19 floors in 700+ showrooms. The home décor collection is presented on 12 floors with 300+ showrooms presenting lighting, accent furniture, rugs, wall décor, casual furniture, linens and more. Despite the COVID-19 crisis, the Atlanta NEXT campus improvement plan has continued, resulting in the summer 2020 launch of a new lifestyle destination on the 11^th floor of Building 2 and continued refinements to the Building 1 home décor collection. Additionally, work continues on the Building 1 lobby in preparation for its Winter 2021 debut but will have minor disruptions on the Summer 2020 market. More information about Atlanta NEXT is available at AmericasMart.com/AtlantaNEXT. Complementing the permanent showroom resources are temporaries showcasing a range of gift, home décor, gourmet, tabletop, seasonal and fashion merchandise, presented August 14-17, in a modified format that allows for social distancing and traffic management.

Adapted Programming to Meet Buyers’ Needs

Guided by buyer sentiment, the Summer market’s educational programming and trend presentations will be presented exclusively online for 2020. In the months leading up to market, Atlanta Market will present educational webinars that emulate at-market seminars. From safety protocol to trends talks and social media training, buyers will be ready to arrive at market with all necessary information to have a safe and productive experience. Atlanta Market will take to social media during the show to present daily videos featuring showrooms, temporary exhibitors, safety policies and campus tours. A full schedule of virtual programming will be announced in the coming weeks. A highlight of the pre-market programming is the next season of Atlanta Market’s signature Shop the Show program with blog posts, look books and social media posts, which will introduce five new themes that are especially relevant in times of social distancing:

• The Art of Home
• Cozy Up at Home
• Do Your Home Work
• Kitchen Comforts
• Retail Revival

Shop the Show: Alumni at Home Edition

Shop the Show will feature 10+ participants from the past four Shop the Show seasons who will share the new products that are inspiring them for the upcoming season and showcase how they have incorporated the trends, brands and products they discovered at Atlanta Market into their projects, stores and lives. Content will be shared at AmericasMart.com/ShoptheShow.

Product Discovery

Product discovery also continues with the second presentation of IMC’s Market Snapshot, which showcases favorite new products as well as best sellers from coast to coast. In the weeks before the market, Atlanta Market will share Market Snapshot finalists culminating in an opportunity for buyers to select the Buyer’s Choice winners, which will be announced at the market. Buyers can follow along on the AmericasMart social media pages and at AmericasMart.com/MarketSnapshot.

LOUIE Awards

Additionally, Atlanta Market will present a showcase honoring the Greeting Card Association’s (GCA) 2020 LOUIE Awards, which celebrate the art, editorial and design of greeting cards, invitations and announcements and reinforce the relevance of sending and receiving cards and invitations. The winners, as selected by a panel of industry experts from 55 finalists chosen from 140+ companies and 600+ entries, will be announced in a virtual event sponsored by Atlanta Market on July 30. More information is available at GreetingCard.org/LOUIE-Awards.

New Website

This summer, Atlanta Market will launch a new website that will provide information and planning tools exclusive to the semi-annual market as well as a highly improved brand and product search. Improved usability will allow users to connect with brands between markets through ShopZio, IMC_di’s B2B e-commerce platform.

Together Safely

In consultation with a top global epidemiologist from Emory University, IMC introduces new Together Safely protocols, which includes the required use of personal protective equipment (PPE), temporal monitoring, social distancing, occupancy control, hand sanitizing/ cleansing and significantly enhanced housekeeping. IMC encourages attendees to prepare for the market by familiarizing themselves with the protocols at www.TogetherSafely.com.

New Registration Requirements

IMC will institute new registration requirements, which include contactless badging, phased access and capacity limitations. Pre-registration, which is mandatory, is now open for the Summer 2020 market. Additionally, booking for partner hotels is now open. The 2020 summer market is August 13-18, 2020 at AmericasMart Atlanta. For more information, visit www.AtlantaMarket.com.