NEW YORK — Organizers of the 95th annual International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show® (IHMRS) report that more than 600 exhibitors experienced “busy aisles filled with owners and operators ready to buy, indicating positive signs for a recovering economy and industry.”
Some 15,154 buyers and 25,427 total trade professionals convened last month at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, where the latest innovations and services for hospitality were presented. Adding energy to the market experience was the launch of Boutique Design New York (BDNY), a hospitality-interiors fair held adjacent to the IHMRS.
“On the heels of a few difficult years for the industry, we heard optimism resonating throughout the aisles,” says Lynn White, IHMRS show manager. “Reports of increased leads and discussions of projects in the pipeline were reported by many exhibitors.”
“IHMRS is the only show we committed to this year, and it proved to be the show worth doing,” says Eugene Paceleo, hospitality sales director for Frette, a supplier of fine linens.
“The IHMRS is one of our single best ways to generate leads that turn into big sales,” says Chris Gaunt, senior account executive for Procter & Gamble Professional. “We’ve been exhibiting here since 2001, and it continues to be a show we cannot afford to miss.”
“Considering the state of the economy, we came into this show with the intent of just gathering feedback to determine if we have legs in the hospitality sector,” says Gayle Ramsdell of Reverie, a bedding company that before the 2010 IHMRS served only the retail market. “What we learned is that we need to gear up for some serious business with this industry.”
The Hospitality Leadership Forum kicked off North America’s leading hospitality event, attracting more than 500 top-tier lodging executives seeking insight from leading experts through the CEO Leadership Panel and U.S. Lodging Industry Summit Panel.
The best new products on the show floor, as determined by a panel of hospitality trade publication editors, were recognized with Editors’ Choice Awards. Cintas Corp. was honored in the “Green Guest Amenities” category for its washable tuxedo.
The 96th annual IHMRS has been scheduled for Nov. 12-15, 2011.
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