World Market Center Las Vegas Broadens Its Global Footprint

Furniture World News

World Market Center Las Vegas announced that it will be host to 154 international exhibitors during its 2008 July Las Vegas Market, scheduled for July 28 through Aug. 1. These international companies will come from nearly 20 different countries including as Italy, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom, Australia, Fiji, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Vietnam, China and Indonesia. The 2008 July Las Vegas Market will feature the largest collection of international exhibitors to date—and unlike previous Markets; they will be housed entirely on World Market Center’s 5 million square foot campus, including the new Building C. “Like many other industries today, the home furnishings industry operates on a global level, and World Market Center provides the perfect platform for all facets of the industry to converge in an international market,” said Robert Maricich World Market Center Las Vegas’ President and Chief Executive Officer. “Now that our campus has reached critical mass with the opening of Building C, we are thrilled to be able to accommodate more international exhibitors and buyers than ever before.” Some of the companies that will showcase products at the 2008 July Las Vegas Market include Abimovel and Ditalia Moveis Industrial of Brazil; Bellini Imports, Couture International, Buhler Furniture and Eighteen Carat International of Canada; Eleganza Italia, Provasi, Galvanotecnica Cividina, Montina and Sintesi of Italy, Allezza Furniture and Sanfra of Mexico; Tema Furniture of Portugal, Velamen S.A. of Spain and the United Kingdom’s Trowbridge Gallery. Given Las Vegas’ world-wide appeal as a destination, and the influx of international attendees coming into the Las Vegas Market, Maricich says it is a natural extension for WMC to assume a truly global position among U.S. markets, evolving into the world’s largest home furnishings complex under a single management. He adds that World Market Center Las Vegas has consistently focused on forming strategic alliances with trade fair organizers and associations from around the world in an effort to “infuse international content and community into Las Vegas Market.” To that end, World Market Center recently entered into a collaboration with Italy’s prestigious Fiera Milano. As part of this collaboration, Fiera Milano will present its stunning exhibit Design Italiano, which showcases the best in Italian furniture from the 1950’s through the present, for the first time ever at a U.S. venue. Not only is World Market Center aggressively pursuing international exhibitors to join the growing Las Vegas Market, but Maricich says the team is doing more than ever to attract international buyers and connect them to its 1,500-plus exhibiting companies and lines. “Given the dramatic rise in international attendance at Las Vegas Market—a 60 percent increase in non-U.S. buyers from July 2007 to January 2008—we are committed to coming up with new ways to connect these international buyers with our exhibitors and ensure they are fully equipped to do business here,” said Maricich. In addition to an international business center, multiple language interpreters on hand, a variety of networking events and outreach strategies in place for international buyers at Las Vegas Market, World Market Center is proud to feature 280 companies in its second edition of the International Buyers Export Guide. The number of participating companies has almost doubled since the guide was first published six months ago. The comprehensive pocket resource includes a list of World Market Center’s exhibiting companies with information about their international capabilities including export capabilities, minimum purchase requirements, consolidation and shipping services, bilingual showroom staff, payment process and proportion of products that are U.S. made. Rounding out the international circle, World Market Center Las Vegas will host for the first time an “Exports Experts” seminar on Tuesday, July 29 designed to help its growing base of showrooms fully tap the international marketplace, especially those buyers attending Las Vegas Market. Frank Martoccia, VP Foreign Exchange Specialist for Wells Fargo Bank will present a seminar on doing business internationally that will help U.S. manufacturing companies manage risks associated with exchange rates. Located in Building B-908 from 8:30 – 9:30 am, this tutorial will introduce hedging solutions including forward contracts and options that can effectively reduce foreign currency risk and preserve the bottom line for businesses. The Summer 2008 Las Vegas Market is scheduled for July 28 through August 1, 2008 at World Market Center Las Vegas. Complimentary M-Line Shuttles will run continuously all day from host hotels to World Market Center Las Vegas. For more information, please visit www.LasVegasMarket.com. About World Market Center Las Vegas World Market Center Las Vegas is an integrated home and hospitality contract furnishings showroom and trade complex in Las Vegas. In July 2008, when Building C opens, World Market Center will stand at more than five million square feet of space, exceeding the size of any trade merchandise mart in the United States. When fully built, at 12 million square feet in 8 buildings, World Market Center will be the largest trade show complex in the world. The $3 billion, state-of-the-art campus will showcase furniture, decorative accessories, gift, lighting, area rugs, home textile and related segments, as well as the Las Vegas Design Center (LVDC), open year-round.