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2016 Casual Market Chicago Experiences Strong Attendance And Positive Feedback

Furniture World News Desk on 10/5/2016


Casual Market Chicago recently reported a successful market as thousands of retailers, interior designers, and landscape architects descended on Chicago for the Merchandise Mart. This year’s show, held September 20-23, was buzzing with activity, excitement and most importantly, business, as 250+ showrooms and exhibitors showcased the latest in outdoor and casual living.

For more than four decades, Casual Market Chicago has provided a collection of furniture, trends and accessories for outdoor living. In addition to seeing the latest products, attendees participated in special events and presentations by top industry leaders. The Market reported positive feedback from the temporary exhibitors and permanent showrooms. 

“Casual Market Chicago is the only show where you can see the latest products in the causal furnishings industry from 250+ manufacturers all in one place, ” said Susan McCullough, Senior Vice President, theMart| A Vornado Property “In addition to the opportunity for buyers and sellers to connect, we also hosted networking events, keynote presentations, an Opening Night Backyard BBQ Party, dozens of showrooms events and the ICFA Gala at the Field Museum in conjunction with the International Casual Furnishings Association.”

Many permanent showroom representatives and exhibitors had very positive feedback at the Show:

“The Chicago Casual Show is the #1 marketing event for our company. The 2016 Casual Market exceeded our expectation in attendance and quality of attendees. It was an awesome show.” - Terri Lee Rogers, President and VP of Sales & Marketing, OW Lee

“The quality of buyer is exactly what we had hoped for at this year’s Market. This was our first time at the Casual Show and we were thrilled with the traffic in our new showroom.” – Lyle Ecoff, Vice President, Emerald Home Furnishings, LLC

“Casual Market Chicago is not just another trade show, it’s the industry event of the year. With the introduction of new products, brands, colors and styles, the who’s who of outdoor living are all in attendance. The Mart in combination with Casual Market is not about brands and companies as much as it is about bringing attendees into an immersive, multi-sensory experience that will be remembered forever." – John Balsz, President, Prism Hardscapes

The Casual Market provides format and surrounding for the Outdoor Casual Furniture industry to meet, grow and trend together. Missing Casual would like asking your company “what is our Plan” for next year without any direction for your future, and attending Casual should become a critical planning element for retailers and suppliers alike. – Tim Cimaglio, President, Outdoor Interiors.

“Chicago Casual Market in my opinion was a great success for Skyline Design. We launched a new catalog, as well as sponsored the Starbuck vignette on the 1st floor, the combination of this drove a lot of traffic to our showroom. I believe buyer attendance was up which helped the sales reps secure appointments ahead of time. There was a positive energy at market, the events hosted on the outside patio were great!” -Marie Ferreira, Vice President, Skyline Design

“Cane-line had their best show in many years at the Casual Market Chicago. We met many qualified buyers who were extremely excited about our new collections for 2017. We also had quite a few new potential customers seeing Cane-line for the first time, with equal excitement about our products. Our customers are willing to invest in high quality furnishings, as they spend more time on their outdoor entertaining areas.” - Jesper Stockler, Sales Director – USA, Cane-line USA

More about Casual Market Chicago: Casual Market Chicago is a four-day trade show that provides retailers with an outlet to find all things related to outdoor and casual living. Featuring the latest products and trends in the industry, the Casual Market features permanent showrooms and temporary exhibitors totaling approximately 350,000 square feet of exhibit in The Mart. For more information, visit www.casualmarket.com.