Philadelphia Gift Show delivers record-breaking success

Exhibitor and buyer attendance continues to climb.

The Philadelphia Gift Show concluded its 2024 event with resounding success, marking another milestone in the show’s history, according to show organizer, Clarion Events. With an upbeat, positive, and energetic vibe permeating the event, attendees and exhibitors expressed overwhelming satisfaction with the show's offerings.

This year's show, which took place, Feb. 2-4, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, saw year-over-year growth, boasting an increase in both exhibitors and attendees compared to previous years. The Philadelphia Gift Show team said it is thrilled with the heightened participation, indicating a promising trajectory for future editions of the event.

“We are delighted to witness the enthusiastic response from both exhibitors and buyers at this year's Philadelphia Gift Show,” said April Holinek, show director, Philadelphia Gift Show. “The vibrant atmosphere, coupled with the addition of new exhibitors, contributed to the overall success of the event.”

Feedback from participants has been positive, underscoring the quality and relevance of the products showcased at the event, according to Clarion Events.

“It was probably one of the best shows we had,” said Bruno Catrambone, principal of wholesale supplier Bruno & Co. “My people were in there at 8 in the morning with appointments and they were still there at 5:30 in the evening writing orders.”

Scott Goodrich, owner of Slippery Elm bath, body and home fragrance products, praised Clarion Events for being so attentive to exhibitors’ needs and making the show so successful.

“It was a phenomenal year for us for the payback on the spend, not just for the booth, but the entire cost for us to travel and be there,” he noted. “What we wrote in orders alone was enough, but also left with at least as many leads as we wrote orders. And many of those, I think very strongly we're going to be able to close in the coming weeks with our inside sales team.”

Goodrich noted the quality of the buyers that are able to support the company’s price point made the trip worth it. In fact, he said, so much so that Slippery Elm will be returning next year and investing even more in a bigger booth for more exposure.

“We had a number of wonderful new customers that we signed up this year with beautiful stores in a number of states, and we never would have met them if we hadn't gotten to Philadelphia,” he said. “So for us, we left the show feeling very good about our decision to increase our investment and about what we got out of the show.”

Another highlight of this year's show was the introduction of the MATCH! Program, which contributed to the success of the event, according to the press release. The Philadelphia Gift Show management said it is excited to expand the program for next year's show, further enhancing the networking and business opportunities for attendees.