Significant Market Synergies with Emerald’s Jewelry and Handmade Shows
Emerald Expositions, LLC (“Emerald”), a leading business-to-business trade show and conference producer, today announced its acquisition of the American Craft Retailers Expo from IndieMe, Inc.
Founded in 2006, ACRE is the premier wholesale craft exposition in North America, consisting of two shows that take place annually in Las Vegas, Nev., and Philadelphia, Pa. The events connect wholesale American and Canadian makers of handmade products with national and international buyers from art & fine craft galleries, modern gift & home stores, independent retailers, guilds & arts institutions, e-retailers, national retail chains, museums and other key influencers in the home, gift and lifestyle marketplace.
ACRE features hundreds of juried artists among six distinct showcases, with an emphasis on carefully selected emerging artists highlighted throughout. Product categories primarily fall within the following areas of focus: Handmade Gifts & Accessories, The Gallery of Fine Crafts, Handmade Jewelry, High Design Jewelry, Handmade Wearable Art, and Retailer Resources.
ACRE Philadelphia, will take place February 18 – 20, 2017 at the Philadelphia Convention Center. The event is expected to draw more than 2,000 wholesale attendees and 600 unique artists showcasing their fine art, gifts and jewelry in over 100,000 square feet of exhibit space. ACRE Las Vegas, celebrating its 11th anniversary, will take place during Las Vegas Jewelry Week in early June. The show will be co-located at the Las Vegas Convention Center with Emerald’s Antique Jewelry & Watch Show and The Jewellery Box, a new curated event for high-quality, on-trend jewelry at affordable to moderate price points. Emerald’s COUTURE show, the leading U.S. authority for designer fine jewelry and luxury timepieces takes place at the Wynn Las Vegas the same week, with free shuttle service for buyers between shows
“I’m so proud of how far we’ve come with the ACRE events, and what we’ve done to help all constituents within the Maker Movement,” said Nancy Vince, president of IndieMe and founder of ACRE. “The timing was right for IndieMe to focus on our online marketplace, while handing over the ACRE reins to a first-class event company that can help it grow and add value for all who exhibit and attend.”
“We are delighted to bring ACRE into our portfolio of leading handmade and jewelry events, which include NY NOW and COUTURE,” said Chris McCabe, executive vice president at Emerald. “Nancy is a passionate supporter of the artisan community and she and her team have built a great business over the last tenyears. By leveraging Emerald’s scale, capabilities and experience, plus our adjacent and highly complementary brands, we expect to bring new and greater benefits to the shows’ exhibitors and attendees.”
The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Emerald Expositions is a leading operator of business-to-business trade shows in the United States, producing more than 50 trade shows, and more than 100 events in total per year, connecting hundreds of thousands of buyers and sellers across multiple industry sectors. For more information on Emerald, please visit www.emeraldexpositions.com.
