Dallas Market Center Announces 2020 Theme: “The Five Senses”

November 11, 2019  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry   

The theme will be presented across the marketplace via interactive product displays, trend presentations and trend tours. The January edition of Total Home & Gift Market is traditionally the largest of the year and serves as the most important product showcase and trend platform. A full schedule of events and exhibitors will be announced in the coming weeks.

“The Five Senses” was selected as the theme because of its power to help retailers create compelling in-store experiences by harnessing the power of sensory perception.

“We want to help retailers feel inspired and empowered to tell the narrative of their particular business in ways that are memorable, impactful, and enjoyable. Ultimately, the way people feel when they leave your store is what will make you competitive,” said Penni Barton, EVP of marketing.

As Pam Danziger, market researcher and author, recently wrote for Forbes.com: “shoppers engaged through all five senses in the store spend more time there and are more likely to make purchases.” She continued: “Brick-and-mortar retailers have a powerful advantage that no digital upstart can compete with, even Amazon with same-day or next-day delivery. It is their power to engage in the real world by activating all five senses.”

To highlight new products and trends and synthesize input across hundreds of showrooms and events, the market’s strategic approach will distill elements of the show into a single theme to inspire buyers with elements that can be implemented in their own business. Interactive displays, for example, will feature each of the five senses presented through vignettes such as Holiday Dinner Party, Glamping, and a French Floral Shop. The presentations will be complemented by QR codes to access product information and to win up to $5,000 in “DMC Dollars” for the June 2020 Total Home & Gift Market.

“Market is where trends begin and where imagination can run wild, so buyers will see first-hand how products can be mixed and arranged artfully to inspire each sense and serve as display ideas,” said Guillermo Tragant, creative director. “Our team is sourcing the latest on-trend items from showrooms and temps across the marketplace and then constructing dramatic installations according to each sense in order to present colorful, provocative, and bold narratives.”

In addition to displays, the experiential theme will play out in several events including a five senses floor party in The Temps, a Beauty Bar of pampering and relaxation, trend tours, live podcasts, color presentations, and seminars.

According to Thom Filicia, the celebrity designer, it’s through sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste that businesses stand apart. “The way you engage people’s senses tells a lot about your brand. Is it comforting? Sexy? Chic? I believe a good mix of all those things creates balance, but the particular ratio of each is entirely your own point of view. The best way to create that ratio is through each of the senses.”

An interview with Filicia, who makes a Dallas market appearance with Carson Kressley in support of the ARTS Awards, will be inside the pages of Spark magazine’s December issue. In addition to Spark magazine coverage, The Five Senses concept will be presented in emails, social media, and across the market website prior to the show.