June 14, 2023
LightFair Co-owner, IMC, Rebrands to ANDMORE
International Market Centers introduces new ALL CAPS brand identity
International Market Centers (IMC) on Tuesday revealed their plan to bring together their physical in-person marketplace business and the Juniper digital offerings. As part of this transformation, they will rebrand as ANDMORE. This strategic move comes after a comprehensive year-long effort to redefine IMC's vision and create a unified brand experience across all channels. The primary objective is to enhance connectivity between wholesale buyers and sellers by providing seamless access through both physical and digital platforms.
LightFair, North America’s largest lighting industry trade show, is jointly owned by International Market Centers (IMC), the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), and the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD). This rebrand is not expected to have any impact on the LightFair event.
In addition to LightFair, IMC hosts numerous marketplace events focused on apparel, gift, décor and furniture verticals in Las Vegas, Atlanta and North Carolina.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, each of the three LightFair owners enjoyed a substantial revenue share of over $3 million from LightFair. However, the absence of events in 2020 due to the pandemic and other post-pandemic lighting trade show paradigm shifts resulted in financial challenges for both the IES and IALD. It’s unclear what the financial impact has been on IMC.
While we often discuss the financial implications for the IES and IALD due to lower LightFair revenues, it's important to acknowledge the impact on IMC as well. Perhaps the relative lack of concern can be attributed to the fact that IMC is a private company or the perception that they have diverse income streams, making them less reliant on LightFair. It could also be due to the profound influence of the IES and IALD in the lighting industry, which tends to overshadow the role of IMC in the LightFair ecosystem. Nevertheless, IMC, now ANDMORE, has a dedicated staff specifically focused on LightFair, responsible for the extensive planning and execution of the event.
"Today marks an important milestone as we embark on a new era for our company," said Bob Maricich, ANDMORE CEO. "ANDMORE captures our spirit of innovation and focus on doing MORE to support our customers by enhancing and extending the value of our physical markets for both buyers and sellers across the furniture, home décor, gift and apparel industries.”
ANDMORE’s modern visual identity captures the creative and vibrant nature of the industries ANDMORE serves. In addition to the new name and branding, ANDMORE will introduce a host of innovative features and enhancements to its upcoming markets and digital offerings.
The first product introduction under the ANDMORE name is a new buyer mobile app, which launches today in preparation for the summer markets in Atlanta and Las Vegas. The @Market app includes pre-market planning tools, a personal QR code for quick badge pick-up, the ability to capture and organize images with notes, turn-by-turn directions to help buyers make the most of their time at market, and a comprehensive, post-market recap for easy follow-up and ordering.
“ANDMORE is MORE than a name or a brand. It is both a promise and a challenge that gives us the space and flexibility to continue to and find new ways to provide exceptional value to our partners and customers,” said Maricich.
