LOS ANGELES — Retail buyers flock to Las Vegas to do business. And MAGIC International is intent on enabling them.
For its next event, to be held Feb. 13 to 16 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, MAGIC executives are focused on creating a more cohesive “marketplace experience” in conjunction with its two recently acquired sister shows, Project and Pool.
“The shows are trying to better align themselves,” said Chris McCabe, vice president and general manager of MAGIC International, whose parent, Advanstar Communications Inc., purchased both Pool and Project — shows with strength in denim, contemporary and streetwear — in August 2005. “These three events create a marketplace, working together to provide more value.” New in February will be a single badge for buyers that will grant them entry to all Advanstar-run shows, McCabe said.
Growing the offerings for footwear and accessories is a top priority for WWDMAGIC, which spans everything from junior jeans and women’s contemporary looks to prim suits for church. In August, it showed around 700 accessories vendors and 500 footwear brands. “While WWDMAGIC is certainly a fashion show, these niche categories are becoming more important,” said McCabe. “How this evolves for us is yet to be determined. They will be an important part of the show as we evolve.”
WWDMAGIC hosts a swimwear component every August, but the upcoming show will mark the first time swimwear has been included in February. “This past August, we had many members [who] were happy with their
participation in the swimwear show and asked to come back in February as well,” said McCabe, who added that the swim category, which includes the International Swimwear/Activewear Market, would be smaller than it was in August, when vendors occupied around 14,000 square feet.
McCabe estimated that the upcoming Advanstar shows will encompass just over 4,000 vendors, roughly the same number featured in August, and estimated total attendance at 115,000. However, “We’re always looking to grow it,” he said.
More marked changes are scheduled for Project, which features premium denim and contemporary brands. The show, scheduled for Feb. 14 to 16, will separate men’s and women’s apparel for the first time at its new location, the Sands Expo & Convention Center. The show will also unveil a new visual template, integrating lounges, restaurants and exhibits, said Sam Ben-Avraham, founder of Project. Its new look will reflect “Project’s interpretation of an Old Hollywood aesthetic,” said Ben-Avraham. In other words, it’s “sexy, luxe and retro, but in a modern way,” he said.
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Ben-Avraham expects some 25,000 visitors to attend the February show, and said the fastest-growing category was women’s apparel, which he
estimated would include around 350 vendors. “We had such phenomenal feedback and reactions from both the buyers and the designers this past year that we’re really focusing on building on the women’s side,” he said. “It’s all about being under one roof.”
McCabe added that the company was undecided about whether to continue the Seed show, which bowed as part of Project in August and featured up-and-coming designers, but added that the acquisition of the company by Advanstar had “been positive in many different ways….There’s more time to build on the creative endeavors of the company — from the launch of our new Web site to building great partnerships and developing the enhanced look and feel of our upcoming shows. We’ve also been able to react to opportunity in the marketplace, build our women’s business, etc., because we now have Advanstar’s infrastructure and resources behind us.”
Mindy Wiener, director of operations for Pool, said one positive change that occurred as a result of the acquisition was the company’s ability to focus on buyer conveniences, including the single-entrance badge to all Advanstar shows.
Pool will launch a new Seed-
inspired area in February. Dubbed The Deck, it will feature emerging brands that will participate at a reduced rate of $2,500, compared with the show’s regular price of $4,000 for vendors. “This demonstrates Pool’s continued commitment to developing new brands by giving them a platform where they can exhibit in front of the world’s biggest marketplace,” said Wiener. Participating brands include Elmer Ave., Life & Legend, Engine No. 9, Early Jewelry and Foster Weld belts.
The show features around 400 vendors each time, and has recently been heavy on T-shirts. For February, “our biggest and most exciting change is our new location,” said Wiener. Pool is moving from the Mandalay Bay to the Gold parking lot across from the Las Vegas Convention Center, with sky-bridge access to WWDMAGIC.
But Advanstar doesn’t have the only shows in town. The Off-Price Specialist Show, where vendors offer products at 35 to 50 percent off wholesale price, will run Feb. 11 to 14 and occupy four floors of the Venetian Hotel Grand Ballrooms, a change from its usual space at the Sands. “It’s beautifully carpeted, air-conditioned [and] chandeliered,” said David Lapidos, director of Off-Price, which is owned by London’s Tarsus Group PLC. “It’s a totally new experience.”
Because of the fancier digs, Off-Price won’t allow exhibitors to drive trucks into the venue or build their own booths. The show’s organizers will build 1,200 hard-walled booths for as many as 600 exhibitors. There also will be 20
salons measuring 600 to 1,500 square feet. Lapidos expects 13,000 to 15,000 attendees in February, up from 12,000 to 13,500 people a year ago. The increase is a result of an emphasis on bargains in an uncertain economy and heightened competition from conglomerates.
“Value is the key word here,” Lapidos said.
After Off-Price ends and vacates the Venetian, ASAP Global Sourcing will move into the ballroom, featuring
overseas apparel manufacturers and contractors, from Feb. 12 to 15.
During the same time as ASAP’s show, WomensWear in Nevada will
exhibit as many as 2,000 brands at the Rio hotel. Roland Timny, show manager for WWIN, which is owned by Specialty Trade Shows, said the expo will increase the number of booths to 830 in February from 760 a year ago.
There’s also a new kid on the block: United Tradeshow. Started by Dim Mak Records founder Steve Aoki and Ryan Walker, the brother of Pool founder Ronda Walker, United will attempt to balance art with commerce. Aoki, who was previously the resident DJ for Pool, will be in charge of music and entertainment, and Walker will oversee sales.
Targeting buyers from independent boutiques, United will exhibit about 50 youth lifestyle brands during its Feb. 13 to 15 run at Alexis Park Resort. Those already signed include jewelry brand Bijules NYC and contemporary clothing label Born Uniqorn, which is designed by actress Taryn Manning. Located across the street from the Hard Rock Hotel, Alexis Park Resort is a homecoming for Walker, who worked at Pool since its inception at that resort in 2000, until he left the company in October 2006.
There also will be attractions geared to a youthful crowd. The on-site recording studio will allow musicians who are sponsored by or affiliated with clothing labels to record songs. Walker said he plans to release a compilation CD after a couple of seasons. A film festival featuring short movies made by clothing brands will be part of the entertainment, along with Ping-Pong tables, billiards, a complimentary drinks bar and lounges that will be decorated to evoke, in Walker’s words, “your grandma’s living room.”
To accommodate the buyers and exhibitors who like to play as hard as they work in Sin City, United will be open from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. — rather than the more conventional hours of 9 a.m.-5 p.m. — and provide six shuttle buses running between the Las Vegas Convention Center and Alexis Park Resort.
“We just want to make it a little easier for everybody,” Walker said. “I know Vegas is where people go to write business.”