could rest on its record for bringing the largest product assortment across all industry categories to Las Vegas, by meeting business demands for one-stop product sourcing plus value-driven price points for nearly 50 years. “The Market You Can Depend On” should cover it.
just wrapped up its run at the Sands Expo and Las Vegas Convention Centers from August 9 to 12. And, we were there: Top Ten Wholesale wore many hats – ASD Media Partner, Wholesale Exhibitor, Trade Show Experts. What we saw at ASD Las Vegas was “A New Show … 50 Years in the Making.” From the Top Ten Wholesale point of view(s) …
Value Plus Variety. For nearly 50 years, ASD Las Vegas has set the standard for merchandise trade shows by providing a cost-effective, one-stop shopping marketplace for Buyers.
ASD August 2009 exceeded the variety-plus-value marker with 6 SHOW SEGMENTS:
1. Value & Variety — 1,800 exhibitors of apparel, convenience items, household/ outdoor goods, electronics and hot-selling personal security merchandise.
2. Gifts & Toys – Largest Gift Show in the West with 400 exhibitors, who segmented out of the general Variety show, presented Specialized Sections (more below), including Home Décor (Collectibles, Decorative Accessories, Holiday/Special Occasion), Spiritual & Religious, Educational Games and Puzzles, Toys and Novelties, and Gourmet Food Gifts.
3. Style & Beauty – Health and Beauty merchandise at all price points, including Fashion Accessories, Health & Beauty Aids, Art/Craft/Hobby Supplies, Travel, and Smoking products.
4. Jewelry – 750 exhibitors combining both Fine and Fashion Jewelry with Fashion Accessories.
5. SourceDirect – Face-to-face meet ups between distributors, wholesalers, large retailers and 200 worldwide manufacturers.
6. And China Brand – 1,000s of electronics, textiles and consumer goods from China’s Top 100 brands … without expensive travel and vetting in DIY import sourcing.
And 16 SPECIALIZED SECTIONS including China Brand Show; Fashion & Accessories; Fashion and Fine Jewelry; Home Décor; Gifts; Health & Beauty; Holiday & Seasonal; Military-Tactical Outdoor; Toys & Novelties; Specialty-Gourmet Foods; Tools & Hardware; Source Direct; Value Price Merchandise and General Variety.
We guess-timated from 35,000 to 40,000 Buyers/ Attendees used their limited trade show marketing budgets to advantage by accessing these multiple clustered merchandise shows … through one coordinated show.
Here are some opening day buyers flooding the Sands Expo Center entry.
Here’s what we (Top Ten Wholesale, Manufacturer.com, Off-Price Network and WholesaleU) looked like on Day One. Keri is holding some of the 21,000 goodie bags Top Ten Wholesale gave away during ASD Las Vegas. We ran out a day before the show ended!!
And here’s opening of the China Brand Show segment … bringing China’s manufacturers to U.S. buyers. (Note: Online wholesale merchandise sourcing and manufacturing — from China-to-US – is also what we do through our Hangzhou-based operation Manufacturer.com.)
Ask Jewelry Wholesalers and Retailers. As we noted, 750 exhibitors of both Fine Jewelry and more mass-market Fashion Jewelry combined exhibit space (moved from the Mirage Hotel to Sands Expo Center for the first time) and located near Fashion Accessories specialized sections.
Here’s Jason Prescott, CEO of Top Ten Wholesale et. al, discussing trade show issues with:
Steve of J Good-In Inc. Jewelry Wholesalers 
and
Mike and Bruce Hassid of American Jewelry.
Wholesalers, manufacturers and retailers have differing opinions on combining high-end jewelry with mass-market fashion jewelry lines in the same exhibit space. Upside: Increased foot traffic and potential Buyers from trade show attendees who might not otherwise seek out “the other” end of the jewelry spectrum. Downside: Mixing messages and muddying appeal by placing high and low-end jewelry price points in the same exhibit space.
Have an opinion on this consolidation of high and low price points? We’d love to hear from jewelry marketers and others in the front lines. Scan Jason Prescott’s trade show advice and overview of ASD Las Vegas from Top Ten Wholesale Blog in ASD Trade Show and China Brand a Huge Success. Let us know what you think by entering your Comment on that post.
Is There A Tao of Trade Show Synergy? Nielsen Business Media, managers of ASD Las Vegas, noted benefits of sourcing at “the nation’s largest and most comprehensive merchandise trade show.”
ASD show managers point to over 3,000 exhibitors, who provided buyers with a vast array of innovative products, which expand in scope and product categories every single year. Plus the cost-efficiency of “one-stop” product sourcing at a profitable merchandise mix that meets business needs of both small and large chain retailers.
We experienced other benefits of this comprehensive trade show synergy, including –
· Face-to-Face Contact With Valued Clients. Top Ten Wholesale touched base with …
Four Seasons General Merchandise, a leading merchandise wholesaler in North America serving sellers – from importers and dollar stores to gift shops and supermarkets – with lowest-price merchandise and flexible shipping.
Via Trading, value-priced wholesalers of home décor, apparel and general merchandise.
Kole Imports, supplier of 99-Cent Store merchandise.
R. G. Riley, who specializes in closeouts, T-shirts and sweats.
And a number of specialty and accessories wholesalers, including 
Sunny Trading, 
Jay-Y-Sunglasses, Kachina Eye Wear and Star Bay Group — Sandals, Slippers, Shoes.
· Sharing Trade Show Knowledge. ASD Las Vegas offered free seminars designed to spread the knowledge wealth and help Buyers and Sellers of all sizes expand both their business model and success.
Topics included: Anatomy of a Successful Website and Driving Traffic to Your Website for Free; Building Your Business with Amazon and Cost-Effective Places to Sell Online; How To Work Successfully with Wholesalers and Online Selling Requires Excellent Product Sourcing.
· Develop New Business. An obvious advantage to pulling hundreds of product categories and thousands of exhibitors together at accessible venues in One Big Show is the synergy of cross-traffic. A comprehensive trade show like ASD Las Vegas bumps up foot traffic and contact opportunities … in a way that highly focused and specialized industry shows cannot do.
Ask us at Top Ten Wholesale. We are not only Media Partners of ASD, we were also exhibitors who gained access to a wide range of wholesalers, manufacturers, distributors, chain retailers and online entrepreneurs. We took that synergistic opportunity to promote the benefits of our product sourcing, wholesale-targeted search engines and focused advertising services.
Welcome to the JPC family:
International Jewelry Designs marketing new CZ jewelry collections;
New U.K. exporters and trendy new costume jewelry and accessories clients, including DeansJewellery.com and Vicki Handbags. Search also on Handbags and Jewelry;
Plus a new TTW client from the growing niche market for Religious Products . See also Apparel at Religious Stores from the May issue of Souvenirs & Gifts & Novelties trade publication.
· Reconnect, Up Close & Personal, with Colleagues. Gaining insights from other Buyers, Exhibitors, Wholesalers and Manufacturers – who walk in your shoes but in another product category – is a benefit of any well-attended trade show.
Our JPC network of search sites, industry blogs and wholesaler advertising networks reconnected with other Media Partners of ASD, including
Forum … here’s Marti of Forum Publishing with Jason
and The Buyer’s Guide Team
. Both from ASD Las Vegas.
Show’s Over; But the Conversation Should Keep Going. If you have a chance to scan Jason’s President’s Corner Blog Post from ASD Las Vegas — and if you have thoughts on consolidating high-to-low price points for jewelry (or any other merchandise category) – please comment on the issues Jason raises. We’ll be updating this ASD Las Vegas trade show recap.
If you missed ASD Las Vegas, start planning for ASD East at New York’s Jacob Javits Center from September 13 to 15.