Chicago's Shopping Resource
Expanded showroom space and new accessory products drive this season's market; seminars keep retailers up to date.
By Staff -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 7/1/2005
CHICAGO GIFT & HOME MARKETJuly 20–27
Temporaries July 23–26
The Merchandise Mart
200 World Trade Center
Chicago 60654
(312) 527-4141
Show Producer: Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. (MMPI)
Show Hours: Permanent showrooms, July 20–27, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. July 23, 9 a.m.–8 p.m. July 27, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Gift temporaries, July 23–26, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Beckman's Handcrafted Gift Show Chicago, July 26, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. 7th floor. July 26, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. 8th floor.
Travel Arrangements: Mart Travel Services, (800) 528-8700
Special Events:
- Treats on Us. July 23. Noon. Complimentary appetizers throughout the Market on showroom floors 12–15. Relax, network, and enjoy free market activities.
- Shop Late Til 8. Saturday, July 23, 6–8 p.m. Permanent showrooms, floors 12–15 offer buyers a night of shopping, appetizers, and cocktails.
- Summertime Block Party — “Let the Good Times Roll!” Sunday, July 24. 6–8 p.m. South Drive of The Merchandise Mart. $20/person or $70/four. Food, drinks, entertainment. Proceeds benefit Gift for Life for the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR).
- Power Brunch. Monday, July 25. 10 a.m. 8th floor Market Suites. Brunch for buyers seeking gift, home and garden resources.
- Snack Stop on 7. Tuesday, July 26. 10 a.m. 7th floor Market Suites.
All seminars are held on the 8th floor in Conference Room A.
Saturday, July 23
- Don't Let Marketing Scare You…Cost-Effective Ways to Promote Your Store. 10 a.m. Speakers: Julie Trautwein & Karen Jacobson.
- Gift Wrapping Better Sales with Bags, Bows, and Boxes. 11:30 a.m. Speaker: Shirley Frazier.
- Changing World – Change Your Ways. 2 p.m. Speaker: Lynn Switanowski.
Sunday, July 24
- Baskets Filled with Holiday Profits. 9:30 a.m. Speaker: Shirley Frazier.
- Buying Basics. 11 a.m. Speaker: Carol Schroeder, contributing editor, Gifts & Decorative Accessories
- Ebay for the Gift Retailer, A Guide for Independent Retailers. 1 p.m. Speaker: Mary Liz Curtin.
- Sink or Swim Marketing. 3:30 p.m. Speaker: Diane Lynch.
Monday, July 25
- Trends for the Modern Home. 11 a.m. Speaker: Pam Graves
- Pace-Setting Place Setting. 1 p.m. Speaker: Tony DeMasi.
LOOK FOR: Meet the Artist — Beckman's Handcrafted Gift Show. Chicago — Temporaries: an expanded home section on the 7th floor. Online Product Locator Service on the 8th floor. Internet Cafe.
