Las Vegas Market Announces Lineup of Seminars and Events for Winter Market

Furniture World News Desk on 12/4/2018

Las Vegas Market announced their lineup of programming for 2019 Las Vegas Winter Market, offering buyers, designers and retailers opportunities to connect with peers, become educated on the latest industry trends and earn CEU credits. Winter Market runs Jan. 27 – Jan. 31, 2019. (Note: A complete schedule of seminars and events is available at https://www.lasvegasmarket.com/plan/event-seminar-landing.)

“Las Vegas Market is delighted to provide an assortment of more than 60 seminars and events for Winter Market,” said Dorothy Belshaw, executive vice president, chief marketing and digital officer for International Market Centers. “As the leading home furnishings and gift market in the western U.S., Las Vegas Market acts as a platform for industry professionals, buyers, designers and innovators to discover the latest trends, network with fellow thought-leaders and experience value-added activities.”

Winter highlights include the 14th annual Las Vegas Market Design Icon Award; the 2019 Housewares Design Awards; the Market’s signature FIRST LOOK trend display and seminar; and Best of the West, a program that spotlights some of the best designers on the West Coast.

Trend forecasting takes center stage this winter

Highlights of trend forecasting programs this winter include Las Vegas Market’s proprietary FIRST LOOK trend forecast. FIRST LOOK will highlight four central themes - ARCTIC, DESERTSCAPE, ADORN and ¡FIESTA! – in a curated display, educational seminar and at-Market resource guide. The seminar, which is tailored to the needs of today’s cross-category buyers and lifestyle stores, will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 28. New FIRST LOOK tours have been added this market to showcase these trends in home furnishings and gift/lifestyle products.

Co-sponsored by REstyleSOURCE, Las Vegas Market’s signature Best of the West program will feature a panel of curated taste-making influencers and designers who will discuss West Coast Life and Style. The program will take place from 3 to 4 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28, and will include Wendy Blackband of Blackband Design, Laura Umansky of Laura U Interior Design, Lindsey Borchard of Lindsey Brooke Design, Amy Bartlam of Amy Bartlam Photography and Lexi Westergard of Lexi Westergard Design. The panel discussion will be moderated by Kelli Lamb, managing editor of RUE Magazine, and Mandy Mortimar, publisher of RUE Magazine.

The Meet the Makers luncheon presentation will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28 with Diane Sulg of CRAFT, Carlos Arias, founder of Inspired Peru, along with others yet to be announced. The panel will discuss trends in the maker movement and how artisans are now able to enter the marketplace on a larger scale, the challenges and successes of being a creative, trends in artisanal products, and today’s buying trends.

Other trend-focused sessions include: A Roundtable Discussion of All Things Tabletop from 1 to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan 27 and Pantone Presents: 2019 Color of the Year, with Laurie Pressman, vice president of Pantone Color Institute, from 11 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Jan 29.

Special events include networking receptions and exclusive industry awards

Winter Market will feature an exclusive slate of networking receptions and industry award events. Network receptions include the Non-Profit Retail Networking Reception, in collaboration with the Association for Healthcare Volunteer Resources Professionals (AHVRP), Museum Store Association (MSA) and Zoo & Aquarium Buyers Group (ZAG), from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 27. Industry awards events include the 14th annual Las Vegas Market Design Icon Award ceremony from 1 to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29; the 2019 Housewares Design Awards, presented by HomeWorld Business, from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29 and the 2019 WOW Awards Dinner from 6 to 9 p.m. on Jan. 27.

Other special events at Winter Market include the return of a late-night Cash & Carry Shopping Spree from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28 in the temporary exhibition space in Pavilion 2, which will showcase nearly 50,000 square feet of home décor product categories, including accent furniture, antiques, decorative accessories, faux botanicals, home décor, jewelry, lighting, one-of-a-kind products, rugs, tabletop, textiles, vintage items and wall decor.

Educational sessions address business issues and opportunities

This winter, Las Vegas Market will feature several key educational sessions, including How to Set Client Expectations & Keep Them, and You, Happy with industry expert Gail Doby of Gail Doby Coaching & Consulting from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 27. A networking reception will follow the presentation. Another relevant seminar is the Focus Your Product Selection for Profitability presentation with Andrew Andoniadis of Andoniadis Retail Services. Additionally, real estate investing and renovations will come to life with Desert Flippers Live, featuring Eric and Lindsey Bennett, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28.

Other educational sessions relevant to both non-profit and for-profit retailers and designers are: Creative Business Strategies to BOOST your Profitability panel discussion, co-sponsored by IVY, with Anastasia Casey, Lindsey Borchard, Mikel Welch, and co-moderated by Reisa Elden and Crystal Palecek, from 3 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 27; Stationery Trends Retail Discussion from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28; Healthcare Gift Guide: Top Picks for Hospital Gift Shops, led by John Klos of Saint Francis Health System, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 27; Timeless Staging Inventory to Source - Panel Discussion with Jana Uselton of Home Staging & Redesign Association from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 27; Design-Build and the Changing Landscape: Then, Now, and What Lies Ahead with Laura Muller from 2 to 3 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28; Get More Done and Love Your Business More, presented by Melissa Galt of Prosper by Design, from 4 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29; Fresh to Follow - Discovering the Cutting-Edge Designers of Today with Breegan Jane, Angelo Adamo, and Ryan Decker with Cindy Hodnett, from 10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 30; and Power Accessories that Transform Any Home, with HSRA, from 1 to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 30.

Industry experts explore Las Vegas Market product categories with guided tours

Guided tours at Winter Market include: Las Vegas Market 411 Tour with Glen Peloso, Grafus Studio, on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28; Touring the Trends from 2 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 27; the Curated Docent Tour – Top Museum Store Product from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 28; the FIRST LOOK Tour – Home Furnishings with Julie Smith Vincenti, Nine Muses Media, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28; the Meet the Makers Tour – Experience the Creativity from 2:30 to 4 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28; and the FIRST LOOK tour – Gift & Lifestyle with Julie Smith Vincenti from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29.

Las Vegas Market offers assortment of buyer amenities

Las Vegas Market also offers a range of buyer amenities to enhance the overall shopping experience. Highlights include fully-equipped lounges for buyers and designers; a Press Center for credentialed media and a dedicated International Buyers Lounge. Onsite hospitality includes morning “grab-and-go” breakfasts Sunday through Wednesday in the Courtyard and The Pavilions; complimentary “Happy Hour” bars in the afternoon and cocktails in the Grand Plaza Courtyard in the evening; and nightly entertainment and after-parties at various nightclubs. Las Vegas Market also offers a campus shuttle and complimentary shuttle to/from host hotels; paid onsite valet parking; buyers’ lounges; mothers’ lounges; and convenient café and food kiosks.

More about Las Vegas Market: Las Vegas Market is the nation’s fastest growing gift and home décor market and the leading furniture marketplace in the western U.S., presenting 4,000+ gift, home décor and furniture resources in an unrivaled market destination. Las Vegas Market features thousands of gift, furniture and home décor lines, allowing for cross-category commerce among these industries. The Winter 2019 Las Vegas Market runs January 27-31, 2019. For more information, visit www.lasvegasmarket.com.

More about International Market Centers, L.P.: Las Vegas Market is produced by International Market Centers, L.P. (IMC), the world’s largest operator of premier showroom space for the furnishings, home décor and gift industries. International Market Centers owns and operates 12.2 million square feet of world-class exhibition space in High Point, N.C. and Las Vegas. IMC’s mission is to build and operate an innovative, sustainable, profitable and scalable platform for the furnishings, home décor and gift industries. For more information on IMC, visit http://imcenters.com/.