NY Now has been acquired by Rockview Management Group (RMG), led by industry veterans Dorothy Belshaw, William Lacey and Karen Olson with a plan to position the longtime B2B gift and home show for its next phase of growth.
NY Now is a semi-annual, multi-day wholesale event for gift, home, jewelry and accessories that has connected brands and buyers for more than 100 years. Under RMG’s ownership, the show plans to build on that foundation with a focus on strengthening brand mix, enhancing buyer engagement and improving the overall market experience, according to RMG.
According to the new NY Now ownership team, key priorities for the show moving forward include:
- An enhanced mix of established and in-demand brands aligned with retailer demand
- Targeted outreach to attract high-intent, qualified retail buyers across categories
- A reimagined layout and experience designed to streamline product discovery
- A focus on delivering measurable business outcomes for both exhibitors and buyers
The RMG leadership team brings decades of experience across the gift, home and trade show industries. Belshaw (pictured above) has more than 30 years of industry experience, including eight years leading NY Now, with a background spanning customer relationships, operations and industry thought leadership. Belshaw most recently held executive leadership positions for Andmore, which operates such gift and home shows as the Atlanta Market, the Las Vegas Market and Shoppe Object.
Lacey brings 30 years of expertise in finance, mergers and acquisitions and process improvement, while Olson has nearly three decades of experience in brand transformation and growth strategy.
In a LinkedIn post, Belshaw said, “I am excited to announce that I have partnered with two outstanding colleagues, Bill Lacey and Karen Olson, to acquire the NY Now trade show. We assume ownership effective today, April 13, along with full responsibility for the upcoming August show. This marks a full-circle moment for me, having served as director of the New York International Gift Fair more than 14 years ago.
“Together, Karen, Bill and I bring deep industry experience, highly complementary skill sets and a shared commitment to setting a compelling vision and executing on it. Our new company, Rockview Management Group, Inc., is built on this foundation: experienced, focused, entrepreneurial and strategically agile. As a small business, we intend to operate with urgency and accountability to effect change and drive growth.”
The NY Now Summer Market is scheduled for August 2-4, 2026, at the Javits Center in New York.
