Entrepreneur Jason Prescott believes in the future of Miami — so much so, that the Los Angeles native packed up his family last year and moved to the city, where he launched Florida’s first ever international apparel and textile trade show. In so doing, Prescott’s company, JP Communications — publishers of leading online B2B global trade platforms, which connect resellers to wholesalers and manufacturers, TopTenWholesale.com and Manufacturer.com — is helping to revive Miami’s apparel and textile industry, once a key production center.
With a $2 million investment infusion for the show — called Apparel Textile Sourcing Miami (ATSM), the largest apparel and textile sourcing show in the Southern U.S. — Prescott’s group has awarded dozens of projects to local contractors and attracted hundreds of Chinese and other global enterprises to do business in the Magic City while boosting local tourism in the process.
The inaugural ATSM show – held in May 2018 at the Mana Wynwood Convention Center – was an unequivocal success, attracting more than 2,000 attendees from 41 countries and close to 200 exhibitors from dozens of regions who came to showcase their latest products and trends that were discovered by sourcing professionals, retailers, brands, designers and entrepreneurs.
The show drew support from dozens of local business leaders and organizations including: Moishe Mana of Mana Wynwood; City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez; Miami Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez; Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness; Miami Dade County Commissioners Jose “Pepe” Diaz and Audrey M. Edmonson; Dr. Shanjie Li, Executive Chief Economist and CEO of American Da Tang Group; the Greater Miami Convention and Visitor’s Bureau; the Broward County Office of Economic and Small Business Development; the Port of Miami; the City of North Miami; Port Everglades; Florida East Coast Railway; the Fashion Business Association of America; Fashion Group International; Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; Miami-Dade Beacon Council; the City of North Miami; Enterprise Florida and Miami International University.
“We at ATSM are grateful for the support of all our international partners and local community and business partners in South Florida, each of whom have been instrumental in helping make the event a success and with whom we look forward to growing further this year,” Prescott said.
Now, Prescott and his team – with expanding offices in Aventura – are gearing up for the second edition of the show. On May 28-30th 2019, apparel industry professionals from the US and Latin America in various buying/selling roles throughout the B2B and B2C supply chain will converge at the Mana Wynwood Conference Center.
What began last year has now doubled in size offering wider variety of vendors to discover, additional product categories, service providers, and world-class seminar speaker roster. The event is now surpassing preregistration expectations and will welcome 4000+ private sector visitors and government representatives. Furthermore, the dates of ATSM 2019 also coincide with Miami Fashion Week. This will result in 12,000+ industry professionals throughout apparel and textile supply chain in the US and Latin America to be present in the city at one time and become the single largest collection of fashion events in the region.
ATSM 2019 — supported by the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Apparel and Textiles (CCCT), the largest textile and apparel trade agency in the world — will present three days of networking, seminars and fashion shows, connecting Southeastern U.S., the Americas and the Caribbean to the production world of raw materials and full-package garment suppliers. New for 2019 will be a U.S. providers and producers pavilion, and conference sessions will provide valuable guidance for U.S. companies on reshoring, near-sourcing, technology, sustainability and complex trade issues. Other notable regions expanding their presence at ATSM 2019 include: Turkey, Bangladesh, India, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia and more.
This year’s show will expand to host more than 300 international and domestic manufacturing companies exhibiting a wide range of products and process solutions in the field of manufacturing and sourcing services. Visitors profiles will represent 40+ countries that are expected to attend, including hundreds of Chinese business owners looking to invest in Florida.
South Florida has become an incubation hub for start-ups and SMEs as brands, technologies, and several other business types. Those in attendance to the show will interact with representatives from Floridian agencies including the Miami Beacon Council, Enterprise Florida, several local and state Chambers of Commerce, and trade offices that help import or export products and services.
“This is an unprecedented opportunity for buyers in the U.S. and Latin America to discover some of the world’s leading textile and readymade garment manufacturers through a single annual event as well as learn from government officials and industry executives through seminars and panel discussions,” Prescott explained.
“Top global buyers are expected to attend ATSM 2019 to source, connect and develop lasting relationships with qualified international and domestic suppliers,” he said, citing as examples notable buyers from companies such as Perry Ellis, Zara, Gap Inc., Kate Spade, HSN, Chico’s, Macy’s, Disney, Zumba, Fountainbleau, Hard Rock, Royal Caribbean, Levi’s and Westgate Resorts.
South Florida is now recognized as one of the world’s leading fashion capitals with industry anchors and contribution from Miami Fashion Week, the SwimShow, Istituto Marangoni, Miami International University, Florida International University, and other local agencies. With the presence of Apparel Textile Sourcing Miami, businesses throughout the supply chain now have an entire ecosystem in one city where they can source or supply depending on the events where they exhibit and attend.
ATSM is one of three events by JP Communications. The company also produces sister shows in Toronto (Apparel Textile SourcingCanada) and Berlin, Germany (Apparel Textile Sourcing Germany).
For more information, to discuss partnering and sponsorship opportunities, or to register for the show, visit www.appareltextilesourcing.com.