The Georgia-based regional gift show organizer, Urban Expositions, has announced plans to launch a new show in Chicago next January. Known as the Windy City Gift Show, the move is an effort to bring together exhibitors, retailers and consumers from throughout the region, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, and Kentucky.

The show is set to debut Jan. 18-21, 2014, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, minutes from O’Hare International Airport.

Convention Center

The Windy City Gift Show is projected to open with a diverse offering of lines categorized into distinct product sectors, including Gift, Handcrafted, Jewelry and Design Chicago.

Design Chicago features design-led merchandise custom-tailored to the region’s forward-thinking retailers, including contemporary and innovative product lines that cut across all categories, such as giftware, home décor and tabletop.

“We’ve received numerous requests from the region’s industry supporters to provide a long term solution for the marketplace,” said Doug Miller, president, Urban Expositions. “We understand the market and the fact that this region is known in the industry for the strong partnerships and loyal business relationships between its large sales agencies and local buyers.”

In addition, the show’s selection will be custom-tailored to reflect the regional tastes and interests of the area—its strong seasonal business, great lakes and coastal towns, lodges and resorts.

“From its easy accessibility to its solid convention infrastructure to its vast retail base, history has shown there are many reasons why the Chicago area should host a vibrant trade show for the gift industry,” said Miller.

The Windy City Gift Show will be backed by a full roster of on-site programs and promotions designed to complement and enhance the new show’s extensive product selection, including educational seminars, networking events, show hospitality and entertainment.