Our HP 314/Manufacturing & Marketing of Home Product Hard Lines’ (“Hard Home”) second class of the second semester has already included an interesting field trip, to NY Now.
Instead of meeting in room 307 as we usually do, we met in the enormous Javits Center, and were advised in advance to wear comfortable shoes and take any shopping bags that were offered to us. Both very helpful pieces of advice, because there is a lot of walking, and a lot of samples and freebies to carry around!
We split up in groups, with assignments to examine products, trends and booths. Fortuantely we were given smaller categories to choose from, since there was a lot to see. I was in the Tabletop & Gourmet Housewares group, and the entire section was carpeted in a light blue rug. Once we knew what color rug to look for, it was easy!
When we got back to school, we did presentations on our favorite brands and booths. Among the faves were Swig Life, Provence Platters, Corkcicle, The Napkins, Deborah Rhodes, Bungalow 5 and a long list of others. Trends we saw included a lot of wood (trays, tabletop), varieties of sustainable products (straws, cups), and I noticed what I called “sassy sayings” (see towel), bright colors/color blocking, and faux marble.
It was hard to see everything in one three-hour visit, but it was very easy to find a lot to like! Overall, great practice for what to do and look for at trade shows!\
