Affordable Shopping Destination (ASD) Market Week, the most comprehensive B2B trade show for consumer merchandise in the U.S., and owned by Emerald Holding, Inc (NYSE: EEX), today announced strong growth in several metrics following the conclusion of its August 2022 event in Las Vegas. In addition, Emerald announced updates to ASD Market Week’s leadership team with a focus on accelerating its growth through innovative marketing strategies and programming.

ASD experienced increases in both exhibiting companies and revenue growth compared to the August 2021 show, with overall revenue increasing by 22% and exhibiting companies by 19%. In addition, nearly 30,000 attendees attended the August 2022 edition of ASD Market Week and conducted business with more than 1,800 manufacturers, including hundreds of new vendors exhibiting for the first time.

“We are very encouraged by what we experienced at last month’s ASD Market Week, and our feedback from both buyers and suppliers at the show has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Karalynn Sprouse, Emerald Executive Vice President. “Post-pandemic, we continue to see pent-up demand for in-person B2B commerce, and these growth numbers confirm this trend is strengthening.”

“ASD Market Week was a huge success and continues to be the premier show in the Discount / General Merchandise space,” said Danny Kole, Co-Founder of Kole Imports. “Our total sales well exceeded August 2021 as the ASD Team continues to push bringing in quality buyers, old and new. The quality mix of Domestic and International buyers continues to grow and most importantly, the ‘quality’ of the buyer remains very strong. We are looking forward to ASD Market week Spring 2023.”

Refinements to Show Management

In response to continued demand to meet the needs of both attendees and exhibitors, Emerald announced the following updates to ASD Market Week’s leadership team.

Camille Candella has been promoted to Group Vice President, Merchandise for both the ASD portfolio and Sports License & Tailgate Show brands. She was previously Emerald’s Vice President of Marketing across the ASD Market Week, International Gift Exposition in the Smokies (IGES) and the Sports Licensing & Tailgating Show (SLTS) portfolios where she excelled at using innovative marketing strategies to help achieve elevated levels of growth for one of Emerald’s major trade shows.

Emerald will be drawing on Candella’s experience and expertise to now direct an even broader growth-focused effort for ASD Market Week and other events. She joined Emerald in 2013 and has 22 years of experience in the trade show industry.

Emilie Lewis has joined Emerald as the new Vice President of Marketing across the ASD, IGES and SLTS portfolio. Lewis was formerly the Head of Coterie in NYC where she was instrumental in the formation of partnerships with Council of Fashion Designers of America, Vogue Designer Fund and Miami Swim Week. She is an innovative brand builder and strategic marketer with more than 15 years of industry experience who has worked alongside brands including Nike, Levi's and Amazon. Lewis will work under Sprouse’s direction to find innovative marketing approaches for all events within her area of responsibility, including ASD Market Week.

“Both Camille and Emilie bring a high level of experience and expertise to the table for moving our ASD Market Week growth strategy forward,” added Sprouse. “We are confident that under their guidance we will make this event even more productive for buyers and suppliers as the industry’s leading B2B sales event for consumer merchandise.”

Plans for 2023 Taking Shape

According to Sprouse, plans are well underway for 2023, with Candella and Lewis directing teams that are focused on building upon the success of this year’s events. Registration for the ASD Market Week Winter Show is open and will take place February 26 – March 1, 2023, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. For more information, visit https://asdonline.com.

About ASD Market Week:

ASD Market Week, also known as the Affordable Shopping Destination, is the largest and longest-running business-to-business general merchandise event in the United States, connecting wholesalers, retailers, and distributors. Over four exciting days in Las Vegas, ASD Market Week offers the widest variety of consumer goods from Gift + Home to Souvenir and General Merchandise to Fashion + Beauty. In addition, buyers can shop at over 1,800 vendors offering one million+ new, on-trend, high-margin products across 19 retail categories to increase sales and profit for their business.

About Emerald:

Emerald’s talented and experienced team grows our customers’ businesses 365 days a year through connections, content, and commerce. We expand connections that drive new business opportunities, product discovery, and relationships with over 140 annual events, matchmaking, and lead-gen services. We create content to ensure that our customers are on the cutting edge of their industries and are continually developing their skills. And we power commerce through efficient year-round buying and selling. We do all this by seamlessly integrating in-person and digital platforms and channels. Emerald is immersed in the industries we serve and committed to supporting the communities in which we operate. As true partners, we create experiences that inspire, amaze, and deliver breakthrough results. For more information, please visit: www.emeraldx.com.

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