Larger Las Vegas Market Brought Buyers and Brands Back Together
Furniture World News Desk on
7/29/2022
Las Vegas Market reports that it continues its upward recovery trajectory with growth in retail and designer attendance, brand offerings and programming as it returned to its traditional timing, July 24-28, 2022.
“Las Vegas Market’s delivery of the experiences that buyers love – unique must-have product, the ability to connect with industry leaders and unmatched programming – drew attendees out of stores and studios to market,” said Bob Maricich, International Market Centers (IMC) CEO. “A significant number of new buyers and those returning from a pandemic hiatus joined market loyalists to tap the power of Las Vegas Market as they plan for a successful end of 2022.”
The Summer 2022 Las Vegas Market reported an 8% gain in attendance over its Summer 2021 staging indicating an acceleration in the market’s overall recovery from more than two years of COVID-19-induced disruptions. Driving attendance growth was the 35% of attendees who were new to Las Vegas Market and the 9% that returned for their first market since before the pandemic.
In total, the Summer 2022 Las Vegas Market attracted attendees from 48 states, three US territories and 49 countries. The Market’s largest domestic gains were in the Northeast and Western regions, and international attendance nearly doubled over last summer, pacing to near pre-pandemic levels.
Design Trade Growth
The West Coast design community came out to Las Vegas Market in force with a more than 20% increase in attendance over Summer 2021. Designers were driven by the opportunity to see new trends and products and significant programming including the 2022 ASID California Central / Nevada Chapter ANDYZ Awards Celebration, Las Vegas Market’s proprietary FIRST LOOK and Ahead of the Curve trend intelligence, the Science in Design Summit, showroom tours and 14 CEU-eligible educational sessions. Designers also had the opportunity to network with their peers at programming presented by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA).
Home furnishings brand Classic Home attributed its summer 2022 growth to designers, reporting that some 60% of buyers were designers, many of whom were new to Classic Home.
“It was exciting to see new, fresh faces coming in – both people getting into the industry for the first time and new customers to Classic Home that have been in the business for a while,” said Nicole Long, vice president of marketing, who reported strong interest in whole home sourcing including the brand’s outdoor furniture collection and Villa textiles collection.
First-time designer attendee Jessica Mireles of Jessica Mireles Designs in Las Vegas shared, “Attending the seminars was my favorite part [of Las Vegas Market]. There is always so much to learn, and it was so inspiring to hear from enthusiastic professionals with incredible experience. As much as we shop online, there is nothing like touching the materials and seeing the colors in person… I’m excited to use what I’ve learned in what I’ll be creating this year.”
New Buyers and Brands Coming Together
More than 200 new, expanded or relocated brands across thousands of resources in the Market’s 800+ permanent showrooms and 350+ temporary exhibits tapped Las Vegas Market to make connections with new customers.
Las Vegas Market confirmed its status as THE bedding market with stronger-than-expected attendance and orders. Diamond Mattress Company, which debuted a relocated space at the Summer 2022 Las Vegas Market reported having “an outstanding Market.” Patrick Wolf, vice president of sales & education said “overall attendance was our second-best market…EVER. Monday was our biggest day EVER.”
Expansion of the temporary exhibits – the largest presentation since relocation to the Expo at World Market Center Las Vegas in Winter 2021 – created new opportunities for buyers and brands. Of note was the RISE pavilion presented by JuniperMarket by IMC with 12 new-to-Las-Vegas women-owned brands offering myriad lifestyle products for sale simultaneously at the physical market and on the digital platform.
“We went to the temporary exhibits first, planning to spend about half an hour there, instead we were there for four hours and wrote orders with seven new lines that we are very excited about,” said retailer Harlan Munneke of The Mole Hole in Solvang, Calif.
“This was our first time showing at Las Vegas Market, so we saw lots of new customers who had never seen our line before,” said exhibitor Laura Fairley – wholesale accounts manager for Spicewalla, a spice brand based in Asheville, NC – who reported working with buyers from Washington and California as well as Texas and the Midwest. “The size of the orders that we wrote were higher than at some of the other Summer markets, which is a good indication that west coast buyers are feeling good. It was great to get a buyer that we had not made contact with so far.”
The cross-category nature of Las Vegas Market allowed brands to discover new products. “We use Las Vegas Market mainly for accessories and gift items,” said retailer Jessica Smith, store manager for Talsma Furniture in Hudsonville, Mich. “We find new vendors or shop vendors we don't normally reorder from to find that diamond in the rough. We found some great pieces that we are very excited about.”
At Market Gatherings and Experiences
The Summer 2022 Las Vegas Market was abuzz with events, education, gatherings and celebrations.
Las Vegas Market provided a platform for buying groups and associations to gather again. Key educational opportunities included the one-day Furniture Marketing Group (FMG) Bedding Summit and three days of education presented by the Home Furnishings Association (HFA). Programming and resources open to all market attendees included GC Buying Group’s Sip & Shop and Fair Trade Federation’s product presentation. Other programming included the Executive Leadership Summit, the Independent College Bookstore Association orientation tour for key west coast buyers, Pacific Furniture Dealers board and members meetings, Purchasing Power Plus digital product tour and the Zoo Aquarium & Garden Buyers Group (ZAG) national board meeting.
Retailer and designers fully engaged in the Las Vegas Market experience. Education was a market draw with strong attendance at nearly 40 seminars, presentations and tours presented over four days of market. Attendees joined in celebrations that returned in Summer 2022 including the Gift + Stationery 40 Under 40 presented by Gift Shop Plus and Stationery Trends magazines and the exclusive Designer Soiree. They also came together at the official Kickoff Party and After Parties plus happy hours throughout the market week. They shared snaps from market at Instagrammable moments in all three buildings and trending products from the Market Snapshot display.
About Las Vegas Market
Las Vegas Market is the leading home furnishings and gift market in the western U.S., presenting thousands of furniture, home décor and gift resources in an unrivaled market destination. Las Vegas Market’s diverse product offerings allow for cross-category commerce among these industries. The next Las Vegas Market runs January 29- February 2, at World Market Center Las Vegas. More information is at LasVegasMarket.com.
About International Market Centers
International Market Centers (IMC) serves as the center of commerce for the wholesale furniture, gift, home decor and apparel industries. With more than 20 million square feet of premium wholesale showroom space in High Point, N.C., Las Vegas and Atlanta, IMC has more than 60 years of relationships and experience creating scalable business platforms for wholesale commerce. With the launch of Juniper, a fully integrated omnichannel B2B commerce solution and multiline B2B e-commerce marketplace empowering buyers and sellers to better manage and grow their business at markets and year-round, IMC now provides the only omnichannel sales and marketing platform that seamlessly connects physical and digital wholesale commerce. www.imcenters.com.