George Little Management’s New York International Gift Fair has beat the recessionary retail blues and posted strong numbers for not only the size of its showfloor, but also saw a boost in the pace of its sales activity.  

The show, held Aug. 18-22 at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York and Passenger Ship Terminal’s Piers 92 & 94, was the largest one since 2009, according to show officials, with 545,000 net square feet of exhibit space across the three venues.

Total overall NYIGF attendance of 33,000 represented retailers from all 50 states and 85 countries, with the largest numbers of international visitors hailing from Canada, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Columbia, Australia and the United Kingdom.

“Expectations for the summer market not only have been met, but also have been exceeded,” said Christian Falkenberg, NYIGF director and GLM vice president.

He added, “Exhibitors are reporting solid and consistent order writing through the entire show.”

Exhibitors’ concerns about slow sales during the summer season were assuaged once the show opened.

“This was a great show for us on many levels. Traffic was up, and it’s apparent the market is coming back,” said exhibitor Sion Benchimol of Prestige Identity.

Benchimol added, “The quality of buyers was also great. They come, they look, they order ... they know what they’re doing.”

The recent NYIGF also featured the second annual return of the Gourmet Housewares Show, which was sold out with 175 companies.

Another NYIGF highlight was the launch of the new Emerging Designer Maker Platform in NYIGF’s Handmade Designer Maker division.

This “incubator” showcase introduced four new American artisans, presenting a range of multimedia products, including home décor accessories, kitchen tools and personal accessories, to the New York market.

GLM also launched the Artisan Resource, a trade show for connecting U.S.-based volume importers with overseas artisanal producers and production resources.

The event, which was held concurrently with NYIGF at Passenger Ship Terminal’s Pier 92, featured some 40 exhibitors and attracted more than 4,300 attendees during its three-day run.

Besides the showfloor, there also were more than 50 other activities for attendees and exhibitors to take part in, including educational sessions, industry social events, product awards and feature displays.

Educational seminars, sponsored by industry publications and associations, addressed design and color trends, importing and fair trade, sustainability, social media, digital marketing and retail strategies.

Industry events included the 61st Annual Retailer Excellence Awards and the NYIGF’s sold-out “Night on Broadway” featuring EVITA.

The biannual NYIGF will return Jan. 26-30 in New York.