Editor's notes
Jane Kitchen, Editor -- Kids Today, 6/1/2005
It was great to see so many of you in person at the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Assn. trade show last month, and to get a look at what new trends are going on in the industry. There was something of a thrill after the ribbon was cut to open the show and we descended down the escalators into the exhibit hall — the new open format allowed me to look out at all the booths and get a feel for just how much there was to see.
I'm sure it was a lot of work to pull off a move to a new location for the JPMA show, but the organizers did a great job. The Orange County Convention Center was a beautiful new facility — easy to get to and easy to work.
Not surprisingly, I didn't hear from one person who missed the Dallas Apparel Mart — even an exhibitor who lives in Dallas said despite the ease of the show being local for her in past years, she was happy about the move to Orlando.
And JPMA did a fabulous job of organizing the all-industry party at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure (see photos, page 26). It seems that that was just what this fractured industry needed — a night of fun and dancing and networking, where everyone let loose and we remembered that we work in a fabulous industry, with lots of amazing people and great, creative energy. As one attendee said to me that night, it was the most impressive industry party he had been to, hands down. And with its roller coasters, belly dancers and DJ, it sure beat the old cocktail party at the Apparel Mart.
There were still grumblings about buyer attendance at the show — not enough specialty stores, not enough representation from the West coast; it's not like the old days.
But it seems to me these are the same complaints I hear at every show I attend, and are probably more a sign of the times than a fault of any particular show. I'm not sure we can ever go back to the good old pre-9/11 days, no matter what industry we're talking about.
What we can hope for instead is to look forward to what lies ahead, and to keep our eyes on the ball. There is a new crop of young, hip folks breaking into this industry and shaking things up with their design-oriented products (see story, page 23), and I think they're worth paying attention to.
We're halfway through the first decade of the new millennium now, and times are changing.
