There’s one additional vendor who managed to snag a coveted spot at the Chicago Collective’s August edition, and for that, Bruce Schedler is happy.
But the softspoken and unassuming vice president and chief architect of the popular trade show still has a long waiting list of manufacturers clamoring for booths. Try as he might, however, Schedler is still limited by the space constraints of the Chicago Merchandise Mart and has to continue to ask brands to be patient and keep trying.
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“We’re sold out,” he said, “but we have one more exhibitor this time, so 427. I guess that’s progress.”
Of the 426 vendors that exhibited at the last show, only a minuscule number — less than 2 percent — dropped out, allowing Schedler to bring in some new names. They include Nudie Jeans, Ranger Station, S.T. Dupont, Svevo, Paul Stuart, Heinz Bauer Manufakt, J.Lindeberg, Premiata, Robert Talbott, Ghurka, Golden Goods Brand, and Zachary Prell’s Orchard & Broome brand. Some have signed on with showrooms, such as M5 which will be showing the Brooks Brothers wholesale line, in order to have a presence at the show. Schedler confessed that in order to get Prell a booth, he actually had to close off the entrance to one of the bathrooms.
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In addition, 30 percent of the exhibitors want larger spaces than the 10 x 10 booths they’re relegated to now. “Only one booth was allowed to expand to 10 x 20,” he said.
“I never wanted to be this large,” he said. “It’s one thing to fill the floor from wall to wall, but a waiting list is another animal. I would like to add another 25,000 to 40,000 square feet. It’s frustrating to tell people no.”
But the Mart, which opened in 1930 and boasts 4.2 million square feet over 25 stories, is home to companies in a wide variety of industries including Allstate, Medline Industries, Conagra Brands and Grainger and also boasts more than 250 design showrooms. The Art Deco-designed building was developed by Marshall Field & Co. as a central marketplace for retailers. After being used for government offices during the Great Depression, it was purchased by Joseph P. Kennedy in 1945 and returned to its original use. It was sold to its present owner, Vornado Realty Trust, in 1998.
This June, a renovation of the site was completed, which included the addition of a fitness center, conference center and tenant lounge along with expanded seating areas outside the building, which fronts the Chicago River. “The Mart is like Disneyland,” Schedler said. “It’s clean and organized and it’s in a great location.”
So as important as the Chicago Collective has become to the apparel industry, it’s just one cog in the wheel of the massive building.
“We meet regularly with the president of the Mart and they want to be supportive, but the building is full of the biggest names in various industries. But we’re hoping to get more permanent space for 2024 or ’25.”
While it’s frustrating to have to constantly disappoint brands that have been trying for years to get a spot, Schedler has come up with one way to appease the vendors who show at the twice-yearly event. Starting in February, the show will extend its length to a fourth day and will be held from Sunday through Wednesday. This time, it will end on Tuesday after a three-day run.
The additional day come February should make the retailers happy since the specialty stores the show caters to primarily have been asking for more time to shop the brands at the fair. Schedler said that while he doesn’t believe in quoting pre-registration figures, noting that it’s easy for shows to sign up stores who have little to no chance of actually attending, he does look at the hotel bookings to get a more accurate estimate. The Chicago Collective provides attendees with a list of hotels that provide discounted rates and the show reimburses qualified buyers $50 a night for up to three nights.
“We’ve gone from four hotels to 11 over the last couple of shows,” he said, “and we’re up 44 percent over last August in terms of room nights.”
The show also offers vendors a relatively inexpensive and uncomplicated way to show. Once they sign up for a booth, they’re charged a flat rate, believed to be $2,500, without any other costs. “They write a check for the booth and that’s it,” he said. “There are no extra fees. We don’t gouge people. They won’t be nickeled-and-dimed anymore. The way we produce it, it’s comfortable and there’s a sense of camaraderie. It’s very civilized.”
Financial considerations aside, what is it about the Chicago Collective that makes it a must-attend show when so many of its competitors are struggling to fill their aisles and attract retailers? According to merchants, it’s the show’s mix of some of the finest labels from the U.S. and Italy along with its layout and amenities that draws them to the Windy City.
But it wasn’t always this way. The Mart has held a menswear show in Chicago for decades, but it wasn’t until Schedler decided to shake things up a few years ago that everything changed. What he did was shift the focus of the event to concentrate on more-upscale vendors. He started to turn down requests from lower-priced brands to rent booth space and stuck to his guns even when he had doubts.
“I had nothing but space but I still turned a lot of people away,” he recalled. “We had a plan to be a good show, not a large show. The Mart is all about quality and we weren’t forced to take anyone but quality brands — and the industry rewarded us.
“Other shows are so diversified,” he continued, “but you can’t stand for everything. No one has that time anymore. So we focus on better to luxury.”
It also helped that the Italian Trade Agency made the jump from Project to the Collective after shows restarted following the pandemic shutdown. Paola Guida, deputy trade commissioner and head of the fashion and beauty division of the ITA, visited the show in February 2020 and committed to bringing 25 exhibitors to the next edition. That number has risen to 62 at the August show. “They also have a waiting list,” Schedler said. “It’s been an incredible addition.”
Going upscale is the same strategy Schedler is using for his women’s show, Stylemax, as well as his bridal show, both of which are now focusing on higher-priced brands. In fact, the Stylemax name has been retired and it’s now being called the Chicago Collective Women’s Edition.
The first edition of the Chicago Collective Women’s show was held last March and Schedler said he was pleased with the response, but acknowledges that he still has a way to go to get the word out. He’s hoping that by this summer or next year, he’ll attract women’s stores from around the country rather than just regionally.
“We didn’t get them the first time, but for the next show, we’re seeing more retailers from outside the territory — the West Coast, East Coast, Mid-Atlantic,” he said. “That’s what happened with the men’s show.”
The next women’s show is scheduled for Aug. 27 to 29 and there’s a third Oct. 15 to 17.
Another difference between the Chicago Collective and other trade shows is that Schedler intentionally refrains from holding seminars during the event. “The only thing the retailers want to do is buy, buy, buy,” he said. “They can watch educational seminars online after the show. They don’t want to waste time. We’re a low-tech industry, we like to touch and feel and if you’re going to go to a show, it has to be time-effective. This is all about being together in a meaningful way and it has to be simple.”