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Las Vegas Market Insider is a quarterly publication of World Market Center Las Vegas www.LasVegasMarket.com
| VOLUME 2, NUMBER 3 Fall 2008 |
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Las Vegas Market rocks in new era for home furnishings
 Grammy winner Rod Stewart entertains Las Vegas Market attendees at the opening night concert July 28 in celebration of the grand opening of Building C, which added 2.1 million square feet to the WMCLV campus. |
From the moment July Las Vegas Market kicked off with its record-setting opening day attendance, its energized pace and portfolio of unique offerings demonstrated why World Market Center Las Vegas is the world's fastest-growing integrated home and hospitality contract furnishings showroom and trade complex. The opening of the iconic Building C - a 16-story, 2.1-million-square-foot structure - created the most efficient Market to date, allowing manufacturers, buyers and designers from around the world to convene in a single location.
Total registrations exceeded the historic average of 50,000 and were up 4 percent over the last July Market; total attendance was up 7 percent. In particular, there was a dramatic increase in attending buyers, with 15 percent more retailers and 93 percent more designers attending 2008 Summer Market than in July 2007.
 Market goers visit hundreds of new manufacturers opening their doors in Building C. |
Many exhibitors reported that qualified buyer traffic was up in their showrooms, defying the current challenging environment.
“Our written business at Market was up well over 20 percent, and it was our most successful Summer Market thus far,” said Lee Fautsch, vice president of sales/home furnishings for Flexsteel Industries, Inc. of Dubuque, Iowa. “We need to be in Las Vegas - it's very important to us.”
“The quality of traffic we've had has been excellent. The major re-launch of Pennsylvania House alone has made it a great Market,” said Dave Pinamonti of Universal Furniture.
In all, more than 1,500 exhibitors showed their newest products, including 320 new companies.
 Buyers shop at Saddleman's of Santa Fe, located in Design & LivingSM — Las Vegas Market's juried showcase of high-design home furnishings fashions. |
“We have been busy from 8 a.m. to closing,” said Suzanne Kelly, vice president of Home Furnishings of The Robert Allen Group in New York, which opened a new 30,000 square-foot flagship showroom in World Market Center's Building C. “We're seeing people from across the country and meeting local designers for the first time. There are many international buyers here as well, especially from Mexico, Canada and even Dubai.”
“Provasi has showrooms all over the world, and we are making this our headquarters in the U.S.,” said Gina M. Fard of Provasi. “We believe Las Vegas Market will be the center point of high-end in the U.S.”
Perhaps the most prominent example of World Market Center's growing international appeal was the U.S. premiere of Fiera Milano's Design Italiano. The exhibit features the best in Italian furniture design from 1956 to today. The 8,000-square-foot exhibit consists of nearly 100 pieces from 13 top designers and manufacturers, including B&B Italia, Cassina, Flexform and Minotti. Design Italiano was conceived, organized and curated with the support of Fiera Milano, Regione Lombardia and the city of Meda. The exhibit runs through the end of the year on the first floor of Building C at Las Vegas Design Center. Read more about this exhibit on page 14.
Building C experience
 WMCLV officials, along with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and actress and mistress of ceremonies Susan Anton, usher in the future of the home furnishings industry by cutting the ribbon for Building C. |
Andrew Gajdamowicz, of Lord Selkirk Furniture in Winnipeg, Canada, was one of thousands of attendees who said the opening of Building C and its 2.1 million square feet of showroom space made an enormous difference in his Market experience. “With the addition of Building C, World Market Center is much nicer and bigger. Not to mention, it's easier to see all the exhibitors here. Overall, World Market Center is a beautiful and fun environment.”
Scott Reid, chief marketing officer of Lenoir, N.C.- based Broyhill Furniture Industries, Inc., said, “Having all the buildings on one campus makes it clean, new and fresh. Everything is integrated together. We were very pleased with the traffic we received, and written business was up because we introduced a lot of new products.”
Rod rocked the house
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Following the official opening of Building C, Grammy Award-winner Rod Stewart put on a high-energy performance exclusively for Market attendees. More than 12,000 buyers, designers and exhibitors cheered, danced and sang along well into the evening.
Market-goers don't just come to Las Vegas for the provocative ideas and cutting-edge products. The event is also about having a good time.
“In these challenging economic times, we felt we owed it out our exhibitors to pull out all of the stops,” Maricich said. “We brought Rod Stewart to Las Vegas, in partnership with Serta, as a show of optimism and a celebration of fellowship.”