CHA 2010 Summer Trade Show Bucks Industry Trends

ELMWOOD PARK, N.J., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) is pleased to announce the CHA 2010 Summer Convention & Trade Show held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois bucked declining trade show industry trends by increasing the number of trade show exhibitors, the total square footage of the Show, and the total number of buyers attending the Show.  

The CHA 2010 Summer Show hosted 4,790 trade show attendees representing a 16.7% increase in the number of total attendees and a 38.5% increase in total buyers over the previous year. Buyers came from all 50 states with international attendance representing 11% of the total buyers that came from 39 countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, Brazil, Netherlands, and Japan. There were 738 total retail companies that attended the Summer Show demonstrating that retailers are attending and sending more buyers to the must-attend craft and hobby industry trade event of the season.  

The total square footage for the 2010 Summer Show increased by almost 9% to 74,698 sq. ft. up from about 69,497 sq. ft., while number of exhibiting companies increased by 10% over the 2009 Summer Show in Orlando. Seventy-nine or 31.6% of the 251 total exhibiting companies were new to the 2010 Summer Show. This includes the ten exhibitors that composed the new Toy Industry Association, Inc. Pavilion on the Summer Show floor.

"Not only were there more buyers, more exhibitors, more new exhibitors, and more square footage this year, there was a great buzz on the Show floor," explained Steve Berger, President and CEO, CHA. "The majority of our exhibitors reported solid Show sales performance, increased face time with key buyers, and a preference for the more intimate setting that's often associated with the Summer Show. While we still have a long way to go to get back to pre-recessionary levels of participation, we are very happy with the performance of the Show."

Wayne Schwartzman, McGill Incorporated said, "We had a wonderful show.  We were prepared with new products and the show floor environment was conducive to doing business."

New CHA Member and first time exhibitor Marianne Conn, President of the Upholstery Studio said, "The contacts we made at the Show on just the first day from 10 am until 3 pm were totally worth the money we paid for our booth."

High-resolution Show images can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cha_images.  

About the CHA 2011 Winter Convention & Trade Show

The Craft & Hobby Association's Winter Convention & Trade Show will celebrate its 70th anniversary with a debut at the Los Angeles Convention Center on January 29 - February 1, 2011.

ABOUT THE CRAFT & HOBBY ASSOCIATION

The Craft & Hobby Association is an international, not-for-profit trade association consisting of thousands of member companies engaged in the design, manufacture, distribution and retail sales of products in the nearly $30 billion U.S. craft and hobby industry.  For more information about the Craft Summer Convention and Trade Show visit www.chashow.org.  For more information about CHA, visit www.craftandhobby.org.

SOURCE Craft & Hobby Association (CHA)

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