ATLANTA — AmericasMart Apparel is changing three of its 2007 market dates from the traditional Thursday to Sunday to Sunday to Wednesday. The move combines the men’s shows with women’s and children’s apparel and accessories markets.
The revised dates affect the April, June and October markets next year, which are now set for April 15 to 18, June 10 to 13 and Oct. 14 to 17. The Feb. 1 to 5 and Aug. 23 to 27 show dates are unchanged. The new October dates overlap the rival FashionCenterDallas show, an event that shares many of the same exhibitors and some buyers with AmericasMart. The February and August shows in Atlanta begin the day after Dallas ends.
AmericasMart officials declined requests for comment. The market said in a press release the move was “designed to satisfy the evolving needs of retailers who say they want and need a single-source market experience.”
The decision came months after FashionCenterDallas at the Dallas Market Center announced it was switching to the Sunday-to-Wednesday format in response to surveys showing that buyers wanted to be in stores or with their families on weekends.
Last month, Lawton Hall, senior vice president of apparel at AmericasMart, told WWD, “We haven’t heard buyers wanting to be home on weekends.” He added that AmericasMart was “not obstinate to change,” although show dates were difficult to change because of logistics. He also said AmericasMart would conduct more surveys and research on the date issue.
Some AmericasMart exhibitors and buyers said the change would pose problems, especially with the overlapping Dallas market in October. Many show in both markets, or don’t have duplicate samples, forcing them to either split the sample line or choose between the two shows.
Frank Vaccarelli of the Vaccarelli & Associates showroom at AmericasMart, said the date changes would make it difficult to hire part-time showroom help and models, since his part-time weekend employees have weekday jobs. He said AmericasMart said in an e-mail that dates were being changed because of a lack of available hotel space.
“The regional marts need to stop this fighting over dates with Dallas … and realize the real problem is how will the regional marts compete with Coterie, Magic, Project and the 70 other shows out there?” he said.