Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Blockbuster in Vegas?
July 1,
2014 by in Las Vegas, Market 
Las Vegas Furniture Market organizers say overall pre-registrations for the July 27-31 edition are running 7 percent ahead of the winter show, setting the stage for potentially record-setting summer attendance.
The gift and home décor category is experiencing the most dramatic gains, with buyer registration pacing 18 percent ahead of the recent Winter 2014 Market and 83 percent ahead of the Summer 2013 Market.
“By virtually every measure--week-to-week comparisons against Winter Market, overall quantity of registrations, and percentage gains by category--attendee registration for the Summer Las Vegas Market is ahead,” said International Market Centers Chief Market & Strategy Officer Scott Eckman. “These gains reinforce the strategic shifts we have made in positioning Las Vegas Market as the leading furniture, home decor and gift destination in the western United States, and reflect both the increase in resource density as well as the intensive efforts by our expanded Retail Relations team.”
While registration growth has been strongest in the gift and home décor categories, overall Summer Market pre-registrations are ahead across all merchandise categories, including furniture.
“Our gains in gift and home registrations are fueled not only by the dramatic resource growth in these product categories, but also through stepped-up efforts from the Retail Relations call center,” Eckman said.
Las Vegas Market substantially expanded its retail relations team earlier this year, adding 10 new staffers to its outreach organization, which now comprises 30 people, with dedicated representatives for the gift, furniture/home décor and lifestyle categories as well as two field representatives. This commitment and investment to attract new buyers to Market is driving the increases in registration with nearly 70,000 phone calls to buyers.
The increase in registrations for Summer 2014 correspond with the dramatic resource expansion as part of the Las Vegas Market’s three-year strategic growth plan, which has resulted in an increase of more than 1,200 new resources exhibiting in 850,000 square feet of space since the Jan. 2013 Market, including approximately 900 new gift lines and some 300 new furniture and home décor lines.