NY Now Inks Deal With Ivystone to Bring Brands Back to New York

NY Now has announced a new strategic partnership with Ivystone Group and its portfolio of agencies, a move that marks the latest step in re-establishing the gift and home show as a Northeast destination market.

According to a release, the partnership was formed with the one main goal in mind: to bring well-known and recognized brands back to New York and “reengage the region’s independent retail ecosystem.”

“New York was once the undisputed industry platform for brand awareness, product introduction and media attention,” said Doug Cofiell, CEO of Ivystone. “This alliance will reinvigorate our Northeast presence and drive super-regional sales for our family of brands — particularly those represented by Ivystone and Simblist. We’ve worked closely with Dorothy Belshaw for more than 20 years across multiple markets, and we’re confident she and her partners can rapidly reinvent this important show.”

NY Now and Ivystone plan to create “turn-key” booth packages to help streamline the exhibit designs and installation process. Designs will integrate multi-line exhibits, as well as brand-specific exhibits, and dedicated order-writing zones. The model, once finalized, will be replicated for additional agency partnerships to be announced in the future.

The new concept will debut at the upcoming fall edition, running Aug. 2-4 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, and the full buildout is scheduled to debut in winter 2027.

“This partnership is an essential component of our strategy to rebuild NY Now with intention and urgency. Ivystone has created a robust and relevant ecosystem with the best brands connected to the best buyers,” said Dorothy Belshaw, CEO of NY Now. “Leveraging those relationships will accelerate growth and improved performance for NY Now and the whole Northeast market. This model ensures that individual brand identities are featured through independent displays at the same time as sales and customer acquisition are optimized by the agency support system working in tandem with NY Now’s marketing team.”

The partnership is the latest move in the overhaul of the New York gift and home show. Rockview Management Group (RMG), led by Belshaw and other industry veterans, purchased the 100-year-old marketplace back in April. Last month, RMG signaled a full rebranding with the debut of a new logo and leadership team.