DENVER, CO (September 26, 2023) – Building on the success of its annual show, *Noted: The Greeting Card Expo, the non-profit Greeting Card Association (GCA) will expand its 2024 event to include Gifted: The Creative Gift & Home Expo. The newly reimagined *Noted+Gifted takes place April 17-18, 2024, at the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture in San Francisco, CA. The wholesale marketplace will continue to follow GCA’s vision as a show by the gift and stationery community for the gift and stationery community.
“*Noted+Gifted is designed to offer a unique environment in which creative makers and brands can share their products with buyers seeking an elevated mix of stationery and gifts,” says GCA Executive Director, Nora Weiser. The event is led by engaged volunteers who are committed to meeting maker needs, creating a must-attend show for buyers, and offering an experience that keeps the focus on products and people. “Traditional shows risk over-complicating logistics for exhibitors or failing to acknowledge the needs of buyers,” Weiser continues, “*Noted+Gifted offers move-in-ready exhibit spaces, programs and activations that engage buyers, and a layout designed to delight buyers with discoveries at every turn.”
*Noted was launched in 2019 after the shuttering of the National Stationery Show (NSS) removed an important annual market for greeting cards, stationery, writing implements, and desktop accessories. After two years of cancellations due to COVID, *Noted took place in San Francisco in 2022 and 2023 co-located with Emerald Expo’s SF NOW, a Bay Area iteration of Emerald’s popular NY NOW tradeshow. While GCA will manage *Noted+Gifted as its own stand-alone event, the nonprofit will continue to partner with Emerald for GCA’s *Noted Village areas at summer and winter NY NOW markets.
The loss of NSS, along with Urban Expositions’ closure of its SF Market (formerly San Francisco International Gift Fair), Seattle Gift Show, and California Gift Show left brands and buyers without a convenient West Coast market. Feedback from exhibitors and attendees alike was clear – they valued an elevated, urban Bay Area gift show. “This is a new and exciting chapter for our industry and the West Coast offers such a unique energy for creatives and makers,” says Jeremy Saumure of Los Angeles’ Flax Pen to Paper who serves on Gifted’s Industry Advisory Council. “San Francisco is the perfect landscape to showcase those talents and offers buyers in California and surrounding states a convenient location to shop. I am honored to be a part of this reimagined show, and I look forward to 2024.”
Move-in-ready spaces complete with hard walls, furnishings, and lighting start at just 36 square feet, allowing smaller brands and independent makers the opportunity to reach a motivated audience of wholesale buyers. Interested exhibitors can learn more by visiting https://www.greetingcard.org/noted-gifted/. Greeting card publishers with questions about *Noted can contact gca@greetingcard.org, and inquire about discounted rates available for GCA Members. Gift brands interested in applying for space in Gifted can contact Sales Representative Lisa Lundrigan, lisa@giftedexpo.org | 949-632-1212.
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About the Greeting Card Association:
Founded in 1941, The Greeting Card Association (GCA) is the non-profit U.S. trade association serving the greeting card and social expressions industry. GCA represents over 300 American and international publishers, retailers, and industry partners by promoting the tradition of sending greeting cards, helping members grow their businesses, recognizing creativity, and serving the industry and citizen mailer as a voice for media, leadership, and advocacy on industry issues.
Learn more at: www.greetingcard.org
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Contact: Endsley Eggert
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303.848.2522