NORWALK, Conn. — Reed Exhibitions (RX) is launching eight U.S. events in 2019 and one in 2020. The new B2B and B2C shows include collaborations with media brands and associations, geo-clones of RX global brands and value-chain extensions of existing RX events.
“Launch is an integral strategic pillar for business growth at RX,” said Hervé Sedky, President of Reed Exhibitions, Americas. “We launched eight events in 2018 that will continue in 2019. To date, RX-US has approved eight additional launches for 2019 with further launches expected for 2020.” (Read more about Reed’s growth strategies for 2019 in Independent Outlook in the March issue of TSE: https://tinyurl.com/TSE-March-IndieOutlook.)
The new 2019 events include: Racquet & Paddle, Unbound Expo, Outside Experience, ComplexCon Chicago, Independent Home Improvement Show, Functional Fabric Fair Portland, JIS West Coast and Salon du Chocolat. In 2020, Reed is launching Equitana USA (www.equitanausa.com), a geo-clone of EQUITANA in Essen, Germany. Scheduled to be held Oct. 2-4 in Lexington, Ky., Equitana USA will be produced in collaboration with the Kentucky Horse Park, which will host the equestrian sports event.
Co-located with the PGA Merchandise Show, Racquet & Paddle (www.racquetpaddlesportsshow.com)was held Jan. 23-25 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. RX collaborated with the Tennis Industry Association to launch a tennis, racquet and paddle sports industry event that featured hands-on product demos and an opening welcome party at the USTA National Center. The inaugural year was designed to be conference driven with plans for a large-scale event beginning in Y2.
Co-located with Book Expo, Unbound Expo (www.bookexpoamerica.com/Events/UnBound/)will be held May 22-31, at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York. The show will offer buyers from independent and chain bookstores, museum stores and specialty retailers a curated range of complementary products to their core book business to address the growing need to expand their sideline offerings.
Outside Experience (www.outsideexperienceshow.com) is planned forJuly 13-14 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Produced in collaboration with Outside, the B2C event will feature the latest outdoor gear and adventure vehicles, paddling on Lake Michigan, mountain bikes demos on an indoor dirt trail and screenings of adventure films. Outside reaches 8 million active lifestyle participants annually.
Also launching in Chicago, ComplexCon (www.complexcon.com) is expanding into another city after launching four years ago in Long Beach, Calif. Scheduled to be held July 20-21 at McCormick Place, ComplexCon is a curated convention and festival bringing the world of Complex media to life in the areas of pop culture, music, art, food, style, sports, innovation, activism and education. In 2018, the Long Beach event attracted 60,000 attendees, according to Reed.
Co-located with the Independent Garden Center Show, the Independent Home Improvement Show (IHIS) will be held August 13-15 at McCormick Place. IHIS (www.ihishow.com)is geared toward connecting independent retailers with leading manufacturers.
After launching the Functional Fabric Fair in July 2018 in New York, RX is expanding the brand to the West Coast with the launch of Functional Fabric Fair Portland (www.functionalfabricfair.com). The new sourcing event, which will be held October 22-23 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, will feature products and technologies to kick off the winter 2021 season.
The Jewelers International Showcase (JIS), a trade-only jewelry event that is held three times a year in Miami, will expand with the launch of JIS West Coast, Nov. 2-4, at the San Diego Convention Center. JIS West Coast (www.jisshow.com) will target the West Coast buyers.
Through a license agreement, RX will launch Salon du Chocolat NY (www.salonduchocolatny.com), Nov. 15-17 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York. The B2C event will feature cocoa producers, chocolatiers and pastry chefs. Salon du Chocolat NY will incorporate elements of the world-renowned Salon du Chocolat in Paris such as a chocolate fashion show, food demonstrations and hands-on workshops.
Reach Herve Sedky at (203) 840.5800 or hsedky@reedexpo.com; Marie Browne, Group Vice President of RX’s LaunchPad Group, at (203) 840-5345 or mbrowne@reedexpo.com
