Early Atlanta Market tests attendance, not demand

ATLANTA – Outside Atlanta’s AmericasMart last week, banners and billboards welcomed the soccer fans expected to descend on the city for the World Cup.

Inside AmericasMart, home furnishings manufacturers who were welcoming buyers to their showrooms a month early so as not to overlap with those soccer fans, assessed what the date change meant for their typical summer market business.

Reviews were mixed. Exhibitors uniformly agreed that traffic was off — the absence of lines at Chick-fil-A and at the elevators were obvious indicators, they said, but so were the reduced number of people coming through their showrooms and sudden openings in hotel blocks. People are set in their ways and simply weren’t prepared to come to market a month early, some vendors said. Many families were still attending graduations or end-of-school celebrations and were not willing or able to give them up. Some, despite all the publicity surrounding the date shift over the past year, were unaware. And so on.

But business wasn’t off by that much, manufacturers conceded. Those who did come to market were serious and intentional; they were not there to simply kick the tires. Compared to year-over-year figures, they were on track.

“Everybody here is serious about what they’re doing; they’re writing, they’re in a positive mood,” said Karen Alweil, owner of Karen Alweil Studio, which carries about 30 gift and home décor brands. “For a lot of people, it’s early for their spending. So, they may be taking dated orders, so there’s that. We can’t control the World Cup.”

“It’s still a good show for us,” said Scott Marcille, vice president of sales for MacKenzie-Childs. “And less waiting for the elevators is good.”

On the second day of market, Lindsay Moore, the national sales manager for tag, was feeling good about things. “When I look at the numbers, it’s been good for us,” he said. “I’m a little shocked.”

The date change complicated Blue Ocean Traders’ catalog production schedule and its planned delivery of product samples, said company founder Jason Mulvane, but his attitude was “let’s prepare as best we can.”

“We did extra marketing to make sure our customers knew [about the date change]. Most didn’t. So, we made extra phone calls.”

After the first day of market, Mulvane added, “numbers were where they needed to be.”

There were a few vendors who were enthusiastic about the early show.

“I’m personally much happier with it,” said Livia Cowan, president of tabletop brand Mariposa. “For us, we can get another turn. And retailers can freshen their stuff going into summer. It’s gifting throughout the season.”

Pam Burke, global sales director for Blue Pheasant, felt likewise. “I think it’s great because it gives us a longer selling season,” she said. The company made sure to have its marketing videos and catalogs finished earlier.

Napa Home & Garden also proactively brought the market to buyers. “[The date shift]  changed our market strategy for those so accustomed to attending in July,” said Keri Caune, vice president of sales and marketing. The company offered virtual walking tours to those not able to attend in person, provided photos of product merchandising as inspiration to retailers, and amped up its social media outreach with short video clips of what was new at market.

“We had a great start to market,” Kaune said on the third day of the show. “How we will finish, I can’t say. We are on par for the first three days.”

Market wrapped up on Sunday. FIFA’s Group Stage games began on Monday. Its Knockout Rounds will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, one mile away from AmericasMart on July 1, 7 and 15, which is when the Atlanta Market normally takes place.