Tupelo Furniture Market Boosts Exhibitors

December 12, 2014  by in Market, Tupelo   

The market, set for Feb. 5-8, will be the organization’s 56th furniture market. Officials are attributing the leasing to a more stable housing marketing and an uptick in the economy.

Over the last three years, the market has added more than 200 new companies to its roster.

Debbie Henry, sales director, said a its comprehensive comprehensive marketing packages offered to participants along with expanded buyer recruitment efforts have helped deliver successful markets for exhibitors.

“We completely changed our approach to selling exhibit space,” Henry said. “We began selling our new exhibitors a package of benefits that include built-in marketing tactics that cultivate and attract new buyers to our event, and specifically to their exhibit space locations. Now when we talk to prospects, our time is not spent merely on exhibit space location and traffic patterns. We allocate much more time to determining who their target buyers are and explaining the tools we can collectively utilize to be sure they show up during our show. Our relationship with our exhibiting companies is now much more of an on-going marketing partnership.”

The marketing strategies include direct mail, telemarketing, print and online advertising, e-marketing and Web targeting.

A variety of incentives, including product discounts, shipping and financing deals and travel, meal and hotel vouchers, are being used to entice retailers to attend.

“It depends on what the exhibitor and the market can do and what they believe the targeted buyer needs,” said Kevin Seddon, Tupelo Furniture Market president.