The Halloween & Party Expo 2018 event will be open to the trade industry in beginning January 12 to 15 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. The event will provide Halloween and party professionals access to products, ideas, and connections, including, more than 350 exhibitors, a new hosted buyer appointment program, daily retail panels, afternoon roundtables, live fashion shows, and the industry costume ball,
The exhibit floor will showcase more than 70 new Halloween brands with products for the upcoming season. In addition, the co-location with HAuNTcon—the Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow & Convention—offers attendees the opportunity to explore an expanded product offering with more than 55 companies showcasing their product lines including props and décor, make-up, and accessories. The show will also debut a new Buyers Club Appointment Setting Program that will include 400 hand-selected retailers and is expected to generate hundreds of new appointments on the exhibit floor.
This year’s show will also feature more expert panels and provide opportunities for in-depth peer-to-peer discussions at the daily roundtables. Retail Minded’s Nicole Reyhle will moderate daily panels which include Brick & Mortar In Store Experiences: Best Practices to Strengthen Customer Loyalty Sales & More; Tech, Retail & Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid: Welcoming Technology into Your Retail Business; Realistic Omni-channel Strategies for Brick & Mortar Retailers: An Industry Expert Panel; and Across the Generations: Understanding the Woman Shopper.
Also newly added to the education program, the panel discussion”The Halloween Ecosystem: First Impressions in the Consumer Experience” will be moderated by Philip Hernandez and take place on Saturday, January 13 at 3:00 p.m. This panel brings together experts from different points in the Halloween ecosystem to discuss First Impression Best Practices. The panel was created with the Haunted Attraction Leadership Symposium, Southern California’s premier education event for the industry, and features panelists from Six Flags Entertainment, Eastern State Penitentiary, Knott’s Farms, EPIC Entertainment group, and more. The Education Program at Halloween & Party Expo is open to all badge-holders.
The Haunted Trends Runway will allow brands to showcase their latest styles and new product releases during live fashion shows. During each runway show, buyers in the audience will have an opportunity to receive a $300 merchandise credit good towards a purchase from the brand on the runway. This year’s line-up includes Dreamgirl, Hot Pink/HPI Apparel, Northstar Artisans, Peaberry Maternity, Rubies, and Scared of My Shadow.
The expo will also launch The Artist Battleground, its first make-up competition. Cinema Secrets, Kryolan, and Moon Creations will transform their models based on the surprise theme, which will be revealed on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 12:00 p.m. The industry panel of judges, including Kyle Vest, Blast Effects & Skin Wars, Nick Wolfe, Evil Twin FX, and Bethany Lemanski from Gwendolyn Events & Entertainment will judge the transformations on technical skills, creativity, and use of multiple applications, ultimately crowing the award of the Best Brush Stroke at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.
For additional information and full event details for Halloween & Party Expo and to register visit halloweenpartyexpo.com.
