TORONTO, Nov. 5, 2013 /CNW/ - The Canadian Gift & Tableware Association today announced that it will now be known as the Canadian Gift Association and will go by the acronym CanGift. Rooted in a 40-year history of inspiration and innovation, the new name and logo exemplify the renewed focus on sustainable connections, retailer success and thought leadership.
"The industry and the Association have undergone significant transformation over the past decades," Peter Moore, Association President and CEO explains. "Changing populations have combined with the evolving face of communications technology and dramatically altered our business environment. The new brand identity responds to this shift and articulates our key mandate -- to enhance the opportunities for individuals to form successful, enduring connections and to keep our stakeholders abreast of industry innovation and transformation."
CanGift worked with brand strategists Idea Workshop and Projektor to encapsulate and distill the essence of the Association's brand. Starting with the brand promise - to ignite interactions and empower connections between members and retailers - the team sought to develop a visual identity that is grounded in CanGift's four decades of experience, but also exemplifies a promising, multi-dimensional future. Each element of the new maple leaf logo reflects the diversity of Canada and the building blocks of a dynamic trading environment fostering inspiration, engagement and sustainable connections. This is best reflected in the new tagline: Inspire. Connect. Succeed.
The Association has also extended this promise to its semi-annual gift shows. Commencing Spring 2014, the CanGift shows will be called the Alberta Gift Fair, the Quebec Gift Fair and the Toronto Gift Fair. The term "fair" broadens the context of the association's events and provides a better showcase for the industry's best. Providing an engaging and inspiring environment for retailers drives the success for all stakeholders. The fairs all now share a new tagline: Engaging Retail.
The fair logos, fitting comfortably with the new CanGift logo, provide a consistent look and feel with the added benefit of a stronger sense of connection to the broader, national base of the industry.
"The Canadian Gift Association and our new logos best represent our membership, the retailers they serve and the dynamic nature of our shared future," says Moore. "We look forward to rolling out this exciting new look in the coming months."
About CanGift
The Canadian Gift Association (CanGift) is the pulse of Canada's $10 billion giftware industry. Embodying the entrepreneurial instinct and spirit, CanGift is a national, not-for-profit association dedicated to improving its members' competitive capability and business effectiveness by enhancing local, national and global opportunities for retailer and supplier interaction. CanGift is comprised of over 1,600 member companies made up of leading Canadian giftware, home accessories and decor manufacturers, importers, exporters, distributors and wholesalers.
CanGift owns and manages the Toronto, Quebec and Alberta Gift Fairs, giving the Association a national tradeshow presence for the industry. The twice-a-year events also provide significant economic stimulus to their respective markets, bringing together thousands of merchandise suppliers with thousands of prospective buyers. Engage with CanGift at cangift.org, twitter.com/cangift, facebook.com/canadiangift.
Image with caption: "The Canadian Gift Association fair logos (CNW Group/The Canadian Gift Association)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20131105_C9946_PHOTO_EN_32931.jpg
SOURCE: The Canadian Gift Association
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