George Little Management is rolling out a new event to enhance the offerings for buyers and sellers at the New York International Gift Fair [NYIGF]: the Artisan Sourcing Expo.
 
“The need came to us from two sources,” says Dorothy Belshaw, senior vice president and show director of the NYIGF. “We have had, over the last several years, increasing numbers of applications from overseas artisanal groups that want access to the New York market. They’re export ready, but they’re not in the position to warehouse and distribute products in the U.S., so their pricing is all country of origin. They want access to the New York market, but need to work with importers, direct retail importers or larger retailers in the United States.”
 
The Artisan Sourcing Expo, which will debut this summer, will be connected to the main event but will also remain distinctly separate. Those that can attend this portion of the trade show must fit certain criteria to participate.

The event is designed to connect specialized artisans with retailers that have the ability to make minimum orders, negotiate through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency, and bring goods to U.S. warehouses and distribute the products. Manufacturers that can design products that are produced through artisanal resources overseas, and have the means to ship and sell goods in the U.S., will also be among the participants.
 
“The market platform that we present attracts a number of smaller, specialty retailers in addition to some of the larger ones,” Belshaw says. “The smaller specialty retailers are typically not in a position to work directly with these groups. They can’t make the minimum order, they aren’t in a position to negotiate through Customs, they are retailers--but they’re not importers. To put those groups on the show floor and provide access to retailers that may be interested but can’t ultimately do business, it’s frustrating to the seller and buyer.”
 
Belshaw says this new event is a way to service this end of the distribution channel. Before this point, the director says, artisans would be brought into smaller breakout rooms and conduct one-on-one meetings with manufactures and larger retailers to develop a relationship and work on product development. The volume of interest from both the buying and selling side prompted the NYIGF to launch this new sector of the show.
 
“Our reason for focusing on artisanal groups is that it supports the goal of maintaining New York’s position as the premier artisanal and handcrafted resource among multi-category gift shows in the country,” she says. “It provides a platform for a category that is more and more sort after by retailers of all sizes.”
 
While this Artisan Sourcing Expo will be at the Javits Center during the same time as the NYIGF, it will be in a separate hall and have a separate entrance. Buyers for this portion of the show will have to meet import demands, minimum orders and have the ability to warehouse and distribute products. Without meeting these standards, individuals will not have access to this portion of the hall.
 
This separate model and structure to prequalify individuals is taken to avoid frustration for those who may be interested in products, but lack the resources to complete deals due to import demands from these international groups. Producers and buyers will be vetted beforehand to ensure the proper marketplace is created. About 50 to 70 companies from 10 to 15 countries will be represented.
 
A dedicated webpage will be rolled out for the Artisan Sourcing Expo that will be navigable from the NYIGF’s site. The event will have a separate marketing plan because of the specific focus, though many prospective attendees to the Artisan Expo will be exhibitors at the flagship event. Extend hours will be given so exhibitors don’t complicate their own show experience.
 
“Retailers are interested in products that are handcrafted, using traditional techniques,” Belshaw says. “For several years, this trend has gained significant popularity among consumers—when they make a purchase they want it to be something special, beautiful, something with a backstory, something that has meaning and something with an actual craft behind it. That uptick in interest in handcrafted merchandise, along with the interest from international artisan groups to be part of our marketplace, illustrated a very clear need for a presentation of this type.”