Vegas Market Partners with 28 Industry Associations, Buying Groups

December 27, 2016  by Larry Thomas in Industry, Las Vegas, Market, Special Events   

The industry groups include newest partners CRAFT (Craft Retailers & Artists for Tomorrow) and the Real Estate Staging Assn.

The groups will partner with Las Vegas Market on special programming, tours, educational opportunities, networking events and other membership activities, market officials said.

“Las Vegas Market is the ideal venue to allow these industry partners to offer added value to their current members and gain exposure among a broad base of potential new members,” said Dorothy Belshaw, president of gift leasing and chief marketing officer at International Market Centers. “As the leading furniture, home decor and gift destination in the western United States, Las Vegas Market offers these home furnishings and gift industry organizations and their members an ideal venue for national meetings, conventions, membership events, educational programming and recruitment efforts."

The new partnership with CRAFT, a non-profit trade organization that champions the business of handmade American crafts, the group is developing a series of special programming, including a “Meet the Makers” session, for retailers and exhibitors during Winter Market.

In addition, Las Vegas Market has become a major sponsor of its American Craft Week, an annual celebration of made-in-the-USA crafts held annually in October.

CRAFT members include craft retailers, wholesale artists, craft trade shows, publications, suppliers, museums and associations.

For the first time, Las Vegas Market also will welcome buying members of the Real Estate Staging Assn., the trade association for professional real estate stagers and re-designers. The partnership includes a member networking breakfast in the Paragon showroom on Sunday, Jan. 22 from 8:30 - 10 a.m., after the conclusion of the RESA 2017 International Home Staging Convention held in Las Vegas prior to Las Vegas Market.

In addition to these two newest partnerships, the market is expanding long-standing agreements with the Museum Store Assn. and Real Deals on Home Décor for the Winter Market.

As part of this, MSA will host its Western Regional Meeting at the market, in addition to leading a curated docent tour of the Pavilions at Las Vegas Market.  MSA member Patricia Sampson, manager of museum shops and visual merchandising at High Museum of Art in Atlanta, will lead “Top Museum Store Product,” on Monday, Jan. 23 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon.

MSA is a nonprofit, international association dedicated to advancing the success of nonprofit retail professionals and non-profit institutions.

Through an expansion of a partnership with Real Deals on Home Décor, a rapidly-growing international franchise whose local mom-and-pop shops open exclusively on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, Las Vegas Market will host the Real Deals annual national convention in January, with a special member networking event planned for Monday, Jan. 23.

Real Deals, launched a decade ago by five sisters who opened décor shops for fun, started franchising in 2006 and has grown to more than 75 stores in 16 states and four Canadian provinces; the company is rated one of the Top 500 Franchises of Entrepreneur magazine.

Other industry partners returning to Las Vegas Market include:

• ART (Accessories Resource Team)
• American Society of Interior Designers
• Association for Healthcare Volunteer Resource Professionals
• BrandSource
• Cantrex Nationwide
• Contemporary Design Group
• Day Spa Association
• Furniture First
• Furniture Marketing Group
• Home Furnishings Association
• Good Toy Group
• Ideation Inc.
• Interior Design Society
• International Furnishings and Design Assn.
• MAI (formerly Monograms America)
• Mega Group USA
• Nationwide Marketing Group
• North American Home Furnishings Assn.
• Pacific Furniture Dealers
• The Parable Group
• The Presenter Network
• Purchasing Power Plus
• Real Local Florists
• Sociedad Mexicana De Interioristas, A.C.
• TRIB Group, The Rental Industry Buying Group
• Zoo & Aquarium Buyers’ Group