Working together in the kids arena
Ray Allegrezza, Editor in Chief -- Furniture Today, September 18, 2005
As many of you know, Jane Kitchen, editor of our Kids Today supplement, is on maternity leave. Mother and son, Henry Mercer Kitchen, are both doing great, and Jane expects to be back for the October furniture market.
In the meantime, a number of us are pitching in to lend a hand at Kids Today. For me, that meant I got a chance to attend the ABC Kids Expo, held earlier this month in Las Vegas, to help produce a live daily paper at the show.
Like most trade shows, this one had its share of new products, retailers, exhibitors and buzz. And while it in no way approaches the magnitude, depth and breadth of High Point, the market's concentration and focus, both in terms of exhibitors and retailers, make it a show that works for all concerned.
What stood out for me, both among retailers and suppliers, was a wonderful and refreshing sense of openness and cooperation at the show.
Maybe it's the juvenile products themselves that put people in a good mood. I mean, if you can work a show featuring items from companies such as That's My Brat, Boppy, Sugarbooger and — my all-time favorite — Boudreaux's Butt Paste, without cracking a smile, you're a sterner person than I am.
Seriously, perhaps the source of all the positive energy I felt at the show is directly linked to the mission of All Baby & Child Inc., which hosts the show. This group says the ABC Kids Expo is a partnership between independent specialty brick-and-mortar stores and the manufacturers and suppliers who support them.
The group's stated goal is simple: to promote the continued growth and prosperity of independent juvenile products retailers and manufacturers.
That sure makes sense to me. It makes sense to this market segment as well. Recently, the ABC Kids Expo made the list of the 50 fastest-growing trade shows.
Good things happen when we work together for the common good.
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Working together in the kids arena
Sep 22, 2005
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