Las Vegas Market Adds Value for Non-Profit Groups

Furniture World News Desk on 6/15/2018

Las Vegas Market recently announced that it is expanding its successful Non-Profit Retail Symposium – an ongoing partnership program with the Museum Store Association (MSA) and Zoo & Aquarium Buyers Group (ZAG) – to present a special range of programming and events geared to the unique needs and interests of non-profit retailers during the Summer 2018 Las Vegas Market, running July 29 to August 2, 2018.

“Las Vegas Market is committed to supporting non-profit retail, which is an important component of the gift industry in general and Las Vegas Market attendance in particular,” said Karen Olson, Senior Vice President Marketing, International Market Centers. “With input from the leadership of these valued industry partners, our retail relations team has developed an ever-growing slate of relevant educational, networking, marketing and shopping opportunities to deliver added value for members of these organizations.”

In its fourth year, Las Vegas Market’s successful “Non-Profit Retail Symposium” will be expanded to include six sessions over two Market days (Monday and Tuesday). Content, developed by leading non-profit retail executives to address issues of special concern to non-profit retailers, also is relevant to all types of retailers and sessions are open to all who are interested.

For the first time this Summer, an all new “Museum Store Monday” track will focus attention on and promote awareness of museum stores and their carefully-curated product assortments and unique customer experiences through a combination of product tours and relevant educational programming, As part of this initiative, MSA will present two educational sessions and one curated docent tour of top museum store products on Monday, July 30. Programming will include: an MSA Networking Breakfast, 9:00am-10:30am, on “Selling To The Millennial Consumer,” led by Jamie Cooper, Museum of the Bible; a tour of top museum products curated and led by Stacey Stachow of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 10:30am-11:30am; and an educational seminar, “Get NPR On The Global Stage,” presented by MSA board members Ione Saroyan, Susan Tudor and Blue Anderson, 4:00pm-5:00pm.

ZAG will present a total of three sessions over two days. On Monday, “Improve The Bottom Line – Maximize Profit at Your Institution,” presented by ZAG and led by Michael Davis, Cameron Park Zoo and David Whitaker, North Carolina Zoo, July 30, 10:30am – 12:00pm; and “Re-Create Your Space – Rethink Your Store & Maximize Your Space,” presented by ZAG and led by Rene Wineland, Maui Ocean Center and Melinda Greene, Kansas City Zoo, 2:30pm-3:30pm. On Tuesday, a ZAG Networking Breakfast 9:00am-10:30am,,on “Win-Win Negotiations,” led by Judy Rancour, Saint Louis Zoo and Michael Davis, Zootique @ Cameron Park Zoo; and “Retail Industry Report,” 2:00pm-3:00pm, presented by Julie Steiner of The Barnes Shop.

Las Vegas Market also is sponsoring a drop-in “Members Club” for members of industry associations including the Museum Store Association, MSA Next, Spa Industry Association, Zoo & Aquarium Buyers Group and more. Buyers and vendors are invited to visit the #LVMkt MEMBERS' CLUB, which is located in Pavilion One to meet with leaders from MSA and ZAG – as well as other industry associations such as CRAFT Retailers’ Association for Tomorrow and Munce Group – from Sunday through Tuesday, July 29-31, 9:00am-6:00pm.

Ione Saroyan, President of MSA and Director of Merchandise Operations, New-York Historical Society Museum & Library, welcomes the addition of this Lounge.

“The Museum Store Association (MSA) is excited to take part in Las Vegas Market’s new Trade Association Recruitment Room,” Saroyan said “We welcome all buyers and vendors who want to know about the Museum Store Association, and about MSA’s work in advocating for our industry with our global initiative, Museum Store Sunday. This is a great opportunity for MSA to share information about how our members conduct business and to learn from all who attend. Many members of the MSA Board of Directors will be participating and are looking forward to the networking opportunities with all who visit.”

Las Vegas Market is steadily expanding its industry outreach efforts through partnerships with 36 industry trade groups, including MSA and ZAG. The Museum Store Association (MSA) is a nonprofit, international association dedicated to advancing the success of non-profit retail professionals and non-profit institutions, with more than 900 institutional and individual buyer members nationwide, including botanical gardens, children’s museums, art museums, science museums, historical societies and more. The Zoo & Aquarium Buyers Group (ZAG) is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization for 330 merchandise buyers from zoos, aquariums, theme parks, nature centers and other wildlife facilities, institutions and attractions across the United States.

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 Summer 2018 Las Vegas Market runs July 29 to August 2, 2018. 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/.