Summer Atlanta Market Readies to Help Industry Get Back to Business During Recovery

June 3, 2020  by Jane Chero in Designer Weekly   

“With renewed strength and focus, we are moving forward to help our community get back to business,” said Bob Maricich, International Market Centers CEO. “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.”

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.

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.

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. During market social media will be used 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, 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” and “Retail Revival”– with blog posts, look books and social media posts. “Shop the Show: Alumni at Home Edition” 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 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 - @AmericasMartATL on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and at AmericasMart.com/MarketSnapshot.

This summer, Atlanta Market also launches a new website that will be a hub of information and planning tools exclusive to the semi-annual market as well as a highly improved brand and product search. Additionally, improved usability will allow users to connect with brands between markets through ShopZio, IMC_di’s B2B ecommerce platform.

In consultation with a top global epidemiologist from Emory University, IMC introduces new “Together Safely” protocols including 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 TogetherSafely.com.

As an extension of Together Safely, IMC will institute new registration requirements this summer. Elements include contactless badging, phased access and capacity limitations. Pre-registration, which is mandatory, is now open for the Summer 2020 market at AmericasMart.com/Registration. Booking for partner hotels is also open at AmericasMart.com/Travel.