The buzz on the show floor at The International Gift Exposition in the Smokies (IGES) was that the energy was warm and inviting, with 575 vendors welcoming more than 4,000 attendees – a 5% increase from the previous year, says Karla Villalobos, marketing director for IGES.
The show – which takes place every year in the Smoky Mountains in Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, Tennessee – ran from Nov. 8-11, and Nov. 7-9.
“In general, attendees were pleasantly surprised to discover more vendors at the Sevierville location as we had four pavilions this year which included Made in America, Campground, Sustainability and Toy + On Trend,” Villalobos notes.
Brand Manager Branden Thompson with The Sportsman’s Market agreed the pavilions made buying even easier. “I like finding made-in-the-USA products,” he explains. That’s becoming harder and harder to do.
Meanwhile, exhibitors agreed the synergy of the show helped to secure a good order rating overall.
“To place an order is one of the top objectives for buyers attending and the majority surveyed agreed that IGES completely meets this objective,” Villalobos points out.
Danielle Ashleigh, wholesale director for Keystone Steel Co., says while some new accounts were made, old connections were renewed as well.
“We had some older [customers] that we met at the show last year come back and got to see new products, which is really wonderful,” she says.
She adds that nothing beats the connections made at IGES.
“I think it’s nice to be able to talk to those smaller businesses because you get to come in and have a conversation and get to know them personally,” she explains. “And the accounts that I’ve made here have reordered several times within the last year, so that’s been great for us.”
Villalobos notes there were several new highlights this year that added excitement, including:
- A new partnership with Enchanted Moments that brought more than 35 toy vendors.
- A Sustainable Pavilion at Sevierville with 40+ vendors, including Fair Trade Federation members.
- An expanded Made in America Pavilion with 110+ vendors.
- A Toyota Tacoma giveaway to a show attendee.
- A Swag Station where every buyer could win IGES swag — sweatshirts, koozies, pens, s’mores kits and beanies.
- A total of 190 new vendors at Sevierville.
- A ZAG Awards Luncheon where members were able to vote and award three exhibitors with the following recognitions:
- “New Cub Award” for Best New Exhibitor: Deluxebase
- “Happy Earth Award for Sustainability: Conservation Coffee
- “Looking Good Award” for Merchandising: The Petting Zoo
The 2024 show is scheduled for Nov. 5-9.
