An e-mail a while ago announced that IDEX, the great doll show, eagerly awaited by doll collectors all over the world each year, is no more. Here is what Susan Fitzgerlad, IDEX Vice President says in it:
The collectible doll and teddy bear trade show IDEX Premiere has been canceled for 2014 and will discontinue all show operations moving forward. While we have enjoyed working with the doll and teddy bear industry over the last decade, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the show and all of its related events and workshops. IDEX, a trade show dedicated to the celebration of dolls, teddy bears, toys and collectible playthings, ran without interruption for twenty-two years. Held in cities all over the country, most recently in Orlando, Florida, IDEX was for many years the premiere place to see what trends and developments were to come in the industry, meet and mingle with fellow collectors, and learn crafting skills at a myriad of workshops. While we are sad to see IDEX come to an end, we have a wealth of great memories and personal friendships that will stay with us for a lifetime. In closing, we would like to thank all of the artists, exhibitors, manufacturers, buyers and collectors who made IDEX a vibrant and exciting environment for more than two decades. We wish you all the best.
Sincerely,
Susan Fitzgerald
Vice President, IDEX
This is sad news for the doll industry. I am guessing that the reasons are financial but who knows?
I went this year and it was a just a huge flop. The awards banquet which is always a big deal and expensive to go to was just laughable. A bunch of africans jumping around screaming? Ugh...Hardly anyone showed up and artists were packing up their dolls before the show was even over because there was just no one there. I was really looking forward to going to it every year since I just moved to Orlando last year so I'm disappointed but Modern Doll Show is supposed to be here next year so that's something to look forward to.
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I went this year, it was my first time at IDEX as I did not have the opportunity to attend in the past. Some booths did very well while others did not do so well. Some of my friends who also attended for the first time were disappointed because they say it's smaller than what they had expected. There was an over emphasis on dolls and not enough emphasis on doll accessories. I enjoyed myself. The BJD companies did well and the party on Saturday night was fantastic, I believe was over subscribed. They added tables at the last minute. I was surprised they closed the show permanently. People were still speculating if it would be better to move the show to NYC.
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