ASTRA Partners with Dallas Market Center for January Total Home & Gift Market

—specialty toy association members to participate in Temps; to hold networking events supporting business innovation and growth for independent retail—

DALLAS – November 2, 2020 – Dallas Market Center, the most successful U.S. marketplace currently hosting trade events uniting buyers and sellers, has announced that ASTRA, the American Specialty Toy Association, will participate in the January Total Home & Gift Market (January 6-12, 2021). ASTRA is an international not-for-profit trade organization that serves more than 1,700 independent retailers, manufacturers and sales representatives of the specialty toy industry.

The organization is creating dedicated space for its member-vendors in the Temps at Total Home & Gift Market (January 6-9), to include dozens of brands seeking an efficient and safe venue to serve retailers. Further, the organization will hold networking opportunities in order to support business innovation and growth for independent retail.

Said Sue Warfield, interim president of ASTRA: “We must continue to serve our members with hands-on experiences and networking at live events that will inspire and educate. Dallas has clearly created a marketplace that is delivering tremendous value for its community of manufacturers, reps and retailers. They are doing it with utmost attention to safety and customer care. We look forward to working with them on new ways to serve specialty toy stakeholders and support success.”

Cindy Morris, president and CEO of Dallas Market Center: “ASTRA is an organization that deserves our full support as they adapt and lead the way for the business of play. In Dallas, we have all of the ingredients for their success: the space they need, the buyer traffic, the operational support and the health and safety measures. We look forward to welcoming them and working with them in partnership to serve more customers and drive growth.”

For more information contact Sue Warfield at swarfield@astratoy.org.

ASTRA joins other leading trade organizations and buying groups such as ProSource, GC Buying Group, ART, the Holiday & Decorative Association, American Lighting Association, and many others who have announced plans to participate in the Dallas winter shows. In January 2020, more than 40 organizations representing tens of thousands of members and hundreds of millions of dollars in purchasing power, conducted business at Dallas Market Center including private buys, new resource reviews, market tours, networking events, workshops, and other activities designed to sharpen business skills, gather industry intelligence, and procure merchandise from showrooms and temporary exhibits.

Dallas hosts multiple events in January 2021 following summer and fall events that were the most successful in the U.S. Dallas Market Center leads the nation with strong attendance and confident order writing inside a productive, inspiring and safe marketplace. More new buyers and buyers from more states are doing business in Dallas: over the last 120 days Dallas Market Center has seen a rapid increase in new buyer applications and attendance from 47 states at trade events and open houses.

Supporting the comfort, health and safety of all attendees, the market center continues measures that began earlier in the summer and will remain in place for the foreseeable future. Those protocols include mandatory face covering and temperature screening for every person entering the marketplace every day. Other efforts included low contact entry via the Market FastPass, which saw a dramatic adoption in the summer, as well as enhanced cleaning with hospital grade products, hundreds of hand sanitizing stations, limited food service, no gatherings, and signage for social distancing. Along with these new steps, there are safety measures that are part of the design of the marketplace: open parking, large entryways, quick registration in multiple areas, wide hallways, multiple escalators, and showrooms with controlled access to allow for the appropriate distance between customers.

Dallas is first in January with Total Home & Gift Market taking place January 6-12 and Temps January 6-9; Lightovation takes place January 7-10; Apparel & Accessories Market takes place January 13-16; KidsWorld January 13-16; the Dallas premiere of the largest Western and English trade events: WESA’s International Western/English Apparel & Equipment Trade Show plus AETA International Trade Show take place January 14-17; and Dallas Men’s Show takes place January 23-25.

Dallas Market Center offers buyers from around the world a complete lifestyle marketplace of best-selling and unique products in temporary and permanent showrooms, including the largest residential lighting trade event in North America; the largest and most successful open-daily design center; dominant trade events for gift, home décor, holiday and floral; and the nation’s most comprehensive apparel and accessories marketplace featuring the latest styles from East Coast and West Coast designers.

To make plans for upcoming markets, visit the Dallas Market Center website and download the Dallas Market Center mobile app. Also, keep up-to-date on all information by visiting Dallas Market Center on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the DMC Daily Dose.

About Dallas Market Center

Dallas Market Center is a global business-to-business trade center and the leading wholesale marketplace in North America connecting retailers and interior designers with top manufacturers in gourmet and housewares, home décor, holiday/floral, gifts, lighting and apparel. Inside its dynamic, five million square foot campus, nearly 200,000 customers from all 50 states and 85 countries seek industry trends, business education and new products from exhibitors throughout the year via dominant trade events for gift, home décor, holiday and floral; the nation’s most comprehensive apparel and accessories markets featuring the latest styles from East Coast and West Coast designers; the largest residential lighting trade event in North America; and the largest and most successful open-daily design center. The marketplace is located in the strongest economic zone in the country. In addition, more than 80% of Dallas Market Center buyers report that they do not shop other market centers. To make plans for upcoming markets, visit the Dallas Market Center website and download the Dallas Market Center App. Also, keep up-to-date on all information by visiting Dallas Market Center on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the Dallas Market Center blog.

###