In addition to our normal news coverage, What Now Atlanta is tracking ways Atlanta’s businesses are adapting to the novel coronavirus and the challenges it brings to brick-and-mortars.
International Market Centers (IMC) announced today that its August markets in Atlanta and Las Vegas will run as scheduled, but will be staged as showroom-only buying opportunities with no tradeshow component based on recent developments and guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The show has already been pushed from July into August.
Ome of the most frequented wholesale tradeshows in the world, the Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market typically sees traffic from hundreds of thousands of buyers and sellers each year.
“IMC’s mission is to create efficient, effective, and compelling markets, but our markets must also be safe, secure, and comfortable experiences for our customers—both tenants and buyers,” Bob Maricich, CEO of IMC, said in a press release this week. “During these unprecedented times, with the acceleration of COVID-19 cases and travel restrictions in many states, we must adapt our markets to responsibly meet the current needs of the industries we serve.”
Participating permanent showrooms, which will be appointment-focused, will be open during previously published dates: World of Prom & Social Occasion, August 3 – 7, at AmericasMart Atlanta; August Atlanta Apparel, August 4 – 8, at AmericasMart Atlanta; Atlanta Market (Gift & Home), August 13 – 18, at AmericasMart Atlanta; and Las Vegas Market, August 30 – September 3, at World Market Center Las Vegas.
Based on recent surveys of tenants at each campus, as well as current “qualified” buyer registrations, IMC estimates that 50 percent of its showroom tenants will open at each market and approximately 40 percent of the traditional buyer base will attend.
Participating tenants and buyers will be encouraged to set appointments to allow for social distancing and more effective management of traffic density and flow, and IMC will share lists of pre-registered buyers with participating showroom tenants to facilitate scheduling. IMC also will employ digital resources, such as online exhibitor directories, way-finding apps, and new digital tools including IMC’s ShopZio B2B e-commerce platform and Catalog Connexion software to help virtually connect buyers and suppliers before, during and after market.
“As COVID-19 continues to disrupt our industry and economy, we remain agile and will continue to adapt as needed to provide safe solutions for our customers,” Maricich said. “IMC will support all of our showroom tenants and buyers who elect to conduct business on our campuses productively and responsibly, and we are committed to enabling commerce wherever, whenever and however possible. Our physical markets and our current and developing digital platforms and software together will be essential elements of recovery for our industry.”
[Editor’s note: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is rapidly evolving as is its effect on Atlanta, and the City’s businesses and its residents. Click here for What Now Atlanta’s ongoing coverage of the crisis. For guidance and updates on the pandemic, please visit the C.D.C. website.]
One Response
Too bad, the temporaries were the best part…