AHFA No Longer Sponsoring High Point Press Center

December 16, 2009  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in on December 17, 2009 The American Home Furnishings Alliance, High Point, announced Wednesday it has concluded its sponsorship of the High Point Market Media Center, which it has funded on behalf of all market exhibitors for more than 10 years.

The High Point Market Authority will assume operation of the Media Center.

AHFA began leasing the High Point Theater to house Media Center operations in the fall of 1998. The move was part of a comprehensive public relations initiative aimed at influencing American consumers and inspiring them to spend a greater share of disposable income on home furnishings. At the same time, the trade association sought to create a unified, impartial home for the working journalists in relief of multiple, splintered press rooms operating independently.

"We knew that if we wanted to create consumer interest in new products being introduced in our industry, we needed to get more journalists to the market where they could experience the vast array of new designs in person," said Jackie Hirschhaut, AHFA's vice president of public relations. "Many of our efforts over the last decade were focused on developing and nurturing productive relationships with journalists. Meeting their needs during the High Point Market each April and October became a cornerstone of our services."

AHFA installed additional telephone lines and Internet access in the High Point Theater to accommodate the growing number of journalists who began attending the market. In addition to telephones and laptop computers with Internet access, the AHFA Media Center offered journalists breakfast and lunch daily, lockers for storing personal items, transportation to showrooms when needed and free shipping of exhibitor press kits back to their editorial offices.

AHFA's public relations department actively engaged newspaper, magazine and trade publication editors in covering the April and October High Point markets with a series of trend reports. These reports were disseminated to as many as 1,200 newspapers and more than 200 consumer magazines.

"Over the years, we introduced dozens of new editors to the High Point Market, and the entire industry benefited from the increased coverage generated during and after those visits," Hirschhaut said. "And by giving up the day-to-day details of operating the High Point Media Center, we can now increase our media outreach efforts to attract more coverage of home furnishings trends, the products and the companies that make them."

In October, AHFA helped the Authority relocate the center to a new, permanent location at  101 South Main St., on the plaza level of the same building housing the Authority's headquarters. AHFA member companies furnished the new center. Aspenhome supplied home office furnishings for the reception area as well as for six media work areas; Company C provided area rugs; Atrium Foliage provided floor plants; and Charleston Forge supplied a console for use in the food service area. In addition, Sun Delivery provided transportation for some of the aspenhome furnishings from Las Vegas to High Point.

"I feel confident that the transition of full responsibility for the High Point Media Center to the High Point Market Authority will be seamless to any onlooker," Hirschhaut said.