In a continued effort to effectively respond to industry feedback, we are once again changing the dates for the 2012 edition. 

As the new owners of the Smoky Mountain Gift Show in Gatlinburg, it was our intent to work with Sevierville’s IGES owners to reunite the Tennessee marketplace. When we acquired Gatlinburg’s Smoky Mountain Gift Show in 2011, we were well aware of the rift that existed between the two events.  Our plan was to try to put some closure to that chapter and open the lines of communication between our two organizations.

For the first time in the history of both shows, our cooperative efforts included door-to-door shuttle service and honoring each other’s buyer badges. The results were extremely positive from all participants.   

During the 2011 show, we were overwhelmed by requests from buyers and exhibitors asking us to find a way to open both shows on the same date. 

Countless retailers told us that the staggered opening of the two shows created significant challenges for their travel and store staffing needs.  Our exhibitors echoed these comments, agreeing that a unified opening date was the right decision for the overall marketplace.  Our customers spoke, we listened and shifted our 2012 opening date to coincide with the published IGES 2012 date.

Unfortunately, M & M has now decided to shift the Sevierville IGES opening date by two additional days, a move we cannot mirror due to prior space/event commitments at our show site, the Gatlinburg Convention Center.  We will, however, be able to move up a day, bringing the opening gap back down to one instead of two days between the two shows.

Looking forward, we will keep working towards a unified opening date and continue the other cooperative efforts we initiated with M & M Gift Shows for the 2011 editions.

We are extremely excited about the future growth of the Smoky Mountain Gift Show and the entire Tennessee marketplace. We want to make sure we’re offering the most cost-effective, convenient and comprehensive resource for you.  If you ever have any suggestions or ideas of things we can be doing to enhance your show experience, please let us hear from you.