ATLANTA — ANDMORE’s inaugural Casual Market Atlanta was a success, beating expectations for its sold-out debut with 50 permanent showrooms and more than 100 temporary exhibits at the event held July 10-13, 2023, at AmericasMart Atlanta.
Casual Market Atlanta attendees came from almost all 50 states and four different countries, with more than 50% of the attendees being first-time visitors to AmericasMart Atlanta.
“We employed a multi-faceted strategy to develop this audience,” ANDMORE CEO Bob Maricich said. “We leveraged our enterprise database to market Casual Market Atlanta to relevant Atlanta Market attendees. We worked with trade media partners to market to these categories, which were outside of the scope of our typical Atlanta Market buying audience. We partnered with ICFA and our Casual Market Atlanta exhibitors to identify relevant target buyers and used direct marketing, social media and more to reach them.”
With the large number of showrooms and exhibits, the show also attracted furniture and outdoor/patio buyers, interior designers and gift and home retailers from all across the country. The showrooms and exhibits, which spanned four floors totaling 450,000 net square feet of AmericasMart Atlanta, featured glass-walled and well-lit spaces to highlight more outdoor and casual furnishings.
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“The Casual Market exhibit floors were purpose-built for the trade show, with an open grid plan that was easy to navigate,” Maricich said. “Overall, it was an inviting and welcoming environment. Beyond that, our staff greeted buyers and exhibitors daily upon entrance and exit to the market. We wanted the casual industry to feel welcomed and at home in their new market location.”
The co-location with the semi-annual Atlanta Market also helped to attract those looking to cross-category source and have more opportunities to shop. Including co-located exhibits and showrooms, attendees had access to more than 350 home and décor showrooms and more than 200 temporary exhibits at the venue.
“Our marketing efforts included a broad mix of leveraging all marketing channels including email, direct mail, SEO/SEM, social media (organic and paid), trade advertising (both print and digital), as well as leveraging our large in-house call center to conduct one-to-one outreach to buyers,” Maricich said.
Along with providing more products and showrooms, the event also created networking opportunities like the 65th Birthday Bash, sponsored by the International Casual Furnishings Association (ICFA), and the ICFA Awards Gala. On a social impact front, the “Pink Out Atlanta” event raised awareness and funds for City of Hope, which specializes in research for women’s cancer. Maricich says ANDMORE plans to continue hosting and expanding events like these.
The second edition of Casual Market Atlanta is slated to be held July 15-18, 2024, at AmericasMart Atlanta, and following ICFA members’ approval, the show will co-locate with Atlanta Market through 2025.
Reach Bob Maricich at rmaricich@andmore.com
