Industry News: Coming at Light Speed

The new issue of Travel Goods Showcase, the industry’s premier news source, hits inboxes – not mailboxes – in June. That’s right, Showcase just stepped up to an all-digital format, so you’ll reap the benefits of electronic presentation and lightspeed digital delivery. That means more timeliness and the ability to provide more in-depth coverage when warranted, without the constraints of page dimensions and printing schedules. Get the full scoop on the all-digital Showcase here, and discover the new advertising possibilities it presents here.

Getting Back to Business

Travel Goods Showcase is looking for industry news to share in its upcoming issue, especially regarding evolving best practices and product pivots, plus local press coverage and humanitarian work your company might be undertaking. Please send your info, photos and press releases to kim@travel-goods.org by Friday, May 29 for editorial consideration. More details can be found here.

Curbside Pickup, Local Delivery and Other New Retail Strategies

As parts of the country explore opening up, local delivery and curbside pickup will become part of the new retail lexicon. Explore this Stand Up 4 Retail webinar about best practices around this new normal, and find other COVID-19 news and resources at TGA’s COVID-19 News and Resources web page. It’s an ever-shifting landscape, and now more than ever it pays to stay informed.

A Smart Pivot Around COVID-19

The world is rallying around the COVID-19 response, and so is the travel goods industry. Companies springing into action to produce personal protective equipment and other items to combat COVID-19 include AVIATOR USA, Everest Trading, Prima USA Travel, Kalencom, KeySmart, World Richman Mfg. and YaY Novelty. Read about these companies, and their products, on TGA’s resource list. And please let us know about your COVID-19 efforts! Contact Cathy Trecartin, cat@travel-goods.org, 877-842-1938, x-702.

Product Innovation Award Winners Revealed at The 2020 Travel Goods Show

The year’s best new travel items made their debut at The Travel Goods Show, the travel goods industry’s annual gathering. After serious deliberation, the Travel Goods Association’s panel of expert retailers selected the following standouts from this year’s crop of new travel products as TGA Product Innovation Award Winners:

• Best Use of Technology: AeroPress Go Travel Coffee Press – makes Americano, espresso and cold brew coffee in 1-2 minutes, and fits in its own travel cup.
• Best New Luggage: Rollink Flex 21” – hardside rolling cabin-size suitcase that folds flat, to a slim two inches, for storage.
• Best New Backpack: Standley Leanbag – kick back with this day-size backpack that converts into a seat with backrest, with retractable aluminum stand and waterproof sit pad.
• Best New Travel Accessory: Uno Travel Pillow – gel-infused, high-density hydrophilic memory foam pillow with ergonomic shape and near-360º support.
• Best Eco-friendly Product: Lightload Eco Towel – full-size beach towel, compressed to pocket size and more absorbent than cotton or microfiber, thanks to bio-based lyocell material.