MAGIC Market Week Finishes Just Shy of 1 Million Square Feet
February 24, 2014
From vintage splendor to comfortable yoga pants, the latest fashions sizzled at Advanstar’s MAGIC Market Week, held Feb. 18-20 and took over the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
After a slower-than-expected holiday season and several severe storms around the nation that impacted buying patterns, the winter edition of the event came in strong with robust showfloor activity across its 10 trade shows that focus on men’s, women’s and children’s apparel, swimwear, footwear, accessories and sourcing.
“We’re just shy of 1 million square feet, which is about five percent up from last February’s show,” said Allison Lombardo, vice president of marketing for Advanstar. The event featured about 5,000 brands and attracted approximately 65,000 attendees, on par with last year.
The fastest growing area this year was active wear yoga at WWD Magic, adding some 15 percent since last year and proving that women indeed crave the clothes appropriate both for the yoga studio and everyday life.
Juniors/young contemporary area grew by 10 percent. At PROJECT, the grooming area launched last year grew from eight exhibitors to 23, adding a new lifestyle dimension to an already hip environment.
Over 400 exhibitors participated in Made in USA areas, also an increase from previous editions.
Reaching a new stage of maturity, the show’s Shop the Floor Web site has gone to being an online showcase for brands exhibiting at MAGIC to a full ecommerce platform. Buyers still can use it to research products and brands before the show, but they also can place orders throughout the year.
“It’s an established brand now,” Lombardo said. “And it’s a lot more robust in terms of a shopping experience for the retailer.”
With so much space to cover, finding just the right thing is a constant challenge for many retailers. The show offers several tools to ease the navigation, from Shop the Floor to a mobile app to guided buyer tours to a pre-show planner that recommends the shopping experience for different types of buyers.
For VIP retailers, MAGIC Market Week Select offers show guidance, private car service, on-site lounges with free food and meeting space, and a dedicated retail relations team.
Pre-show planning tools were helpful to buyer Leslie Butler with Schuler Shoes, who used the app to research the brands and also map her way around the show.
She had heard about pop singer Fergie launching her footwear collection at FN Platform, but didn’t stop by to check it out.
“It may make a difference for someone in the junior business, but I am in the comfort business. I was mostly focused on finding good opportunities,” she said. Shopping for the fall of 2014, Butler said she felt optimistic and noted that her budgets were up from last year.
For exhibitor Michael Wasserman with Dizzy Inc. it was still about last-minute orders for spring.
“We noticed that for the past five months, many buyers have been waiting,” he said. “But now they can’t wait any longer. We’re seeing a lot of close deliveries.” Wasserman said that the traffic seemed to up at the show, adding, “It may be our location across the aisle from Desigual, but we’ve had a very good show.”
Partner Voices
Overview:
The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality.
In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way.
“We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.”
Amenities:
The Center of Hospitality goes above and beyond by offering world-class customer service and industry-leading partnerships. From the largest convention center Wi-Fi network to custom LAN/WAN design, the Center takes pride in enhancing exhibitor and customer experience.
The OCCC is the exclusive provider of electricity (24-hour power at no additional cost), aerial rigging and lighting, water, natural gas and propane, compressed air, and cable TV services. Convenience
The Center is at the epicenter of the destination, with an abundance of hotels, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. Pedestrian bridges connect both buildings to more than 5,200 rooms and is within a 15-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport. The convenience of the location goes hand-in-hand with top notch service to help meet an event’s every need.
Gold Key Members
The OCCC’s Gold Key Members represent the best of the best when it comes to exceptional service and exclusive benefits for clients, exhibitors and guests. The Center’s Gold Key memberships with Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World greatly enhance meeting planner and attendee experiences offering world-renowned venues, immersive experiences and creative resources for their events.
OCCC Events:
This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.
The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:
AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023
200,000 Attendees
$257 Million in Economic Impact
MEGACON 2023
160,000 Attendees
$205 Million in Economic Impact
Open Championship Series 2023
69,500 Attendees
$89 Million in Economic Impact
Sunshine Classic 2023
42,000 Attendees
$54 Million in Economic Impact
Premiere Orlando 2023
42,000 Attendees
$108 Million in Economic Impact
Add new comment