Elements Showcase - NYC

I attended the Elements Showcase on Monday evening, not too sure what to expect.  But as the name suggests, it was about show and tell.  There was no buying or selling.   It was a strategic plan to  position this event so that it coincided with the International Gift Show held at The Jacob Javits Center.   The Elements Showcase was just one block away from the Gift Show.  How very convenient!  I had also attended the Gift Show the day before and noted that not many perfume companies were in attendance with the exception of those selling fragrances for home or office and luxury face and body products, for the spa industry.   The only stand alone perfume house in attendance that I came across, was Lubin, a perfume house that has been in existence since 1798.  But I'm getting ahead of myself...The Elements Showcase was held at the Skylight Gallery, a very nice set-up on one floor of  a small loft building.  Small is relative; I'd say the room was approximately 2500 sq ft.  And despite the many product lines being featured, there was an openness about the space.  The theme seemed to be white and green with many exhibitors table's adorned with chic white and green flower arrangements.  I loved the over-sized paper ball lighting fixtures that gave an air of other worldliness to the atmosphere.  It felt as though the space may have been on some cool planet (other than earth) where the smart and hip types gather, for sniffs and fragrant conversations.Like with the exhibitors at the Javits Center, I noticed that many of the exhibitors showcased, had a focus on high-end home or office  fragrance components, like wood wick candles 'Dyna Decker' that burn for up to 75 hours, air freshners that came in very classy perfume bottles 'Belle Fleur', and classy, glassy and ceramic diffusers 'Anthusa' and 'Joya'.  I don't believe high-end 'aromatherapy' for your home or office is a new trend, just a trend that's being  tweaked in earnest for the luxury consumer.  Also included were of course moisturizing and youth invigorating product lines that cost hundreds of dollars one just one product, like 'Sepai'.What I most enjoyed was diversity between the well established, usual suspects - 'Acqua Colonia' Lubin, and Bond #9 and some of my favs, the new kids on the block like Sage, MCMC, Keiko Mecheri.No doubt, everyone claimed to have real botanic materials in their products and for some products this distinction was evident like with Sage, MCMC and Keiko Mercheri.  For some others, well...  There was even one line named So Oud...  So really???  You know, oud is that exclusive essence (due to its exorbitant price point) that is for some manufacturers, the new, hip, botanic, to name drop.  If it has oud (agarwood) in it,  then it has to be wonderfully rare and beautiful!  But, 'It Ain't Necessarily So'.I must say that all of the exhibitors were really informative, gracious, and friendly.   It was a really cool event and though I am a novice at perfumery, commercial or otherwise, I did enjoy being around the beauty of it all.  I was inspired by the creativity of the perfumers from scent, to packaging design, to new methods of getting a sniff.  Everything really did smell rather yummy.  There were scents that I felt I had smell many versions of and others that called me back to them to smell again.A wonderful showcase indeed!