World Market Center Announces Promotion of Company Executives

Furniture World News

World Market Center’s managing partners announced the promotion of four key directors to Vice President. Dana Andrew, Babs Blair, Tim Branscome and Michelle Monteferrante were all named Vice Presidents of World Market Center. Dana Andrew was promoted from Director of Marketing and Public Relations to Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations. Babs Blair, previously Director of Leasing, will now function as Vice President of Leasing. Tim Branscome was promoted to Vice President of International from Director of International Business Development. Michelle Monteferrante, previously Director of Trade Show Operations, will now serve as Vice President of Show Operations. As Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations, Andrew’s broad leadership responsibilities include domestic and international advertising, branding strategy and marketing communications directives for the semi-annual Las Vegas Markets, Las Vegas Design Center and future campus expansion. She also directs publishing, web-based marketing initiatives and sponsorship activities for the Market, managing a team of eight and several outside agencies. Andrew has worked closely with World Market Center’s founders and management since the inception of the home furnishings complex in 1999. Andrew’s background includes top posts at key ad agencies, where she conceptualized award-winning campaigns for some of Nevada’s largest corporations and political issues. Blair, who has played an instrumental role in the successful and rapid lease-up of the project, will now serve as Vice President of Leasing. She will continue to oversee a 10-person team responsible for leasing activities of new phases, and will contribute to strategic design and planning for future buildings and markets. Before joining World Market Center in 2001, Blair has had successful background in the furniture, accessory and tradeshow development industry. She served as director of leasing at the Showplace facility in High Point. Prior to that, she served as co-leasing director for Dallas Market Center for five years, and general manager and leasing director for the Tupelo Furniture Market. Tim Branscome, promoted to Vice President of International, has been effectively responsible for developing strategic partnerships with major European trade fairs, international trade associations and foreign governments. Branscome has played an integral role in bringing some of the world’s top companies who do not currently have U.S. showrooms to World Market Center enabling its development as the global forum connecting buyers and sellers from around the world. Branscome will continue to be based at the company’s European office in London where he will direct World Market Center’s international business development utilizing his extensive contacts throughout Europe and Asia. Branscome’s 20-year industry background includes serving as the International Trade Director for the State of North Carolina Department of Commerce. As Vice President of Show Operations, Michelle Monteferrante will be responsible for planning, logistics and implementation of all operations related to the home furnishings markets. She will also work closely with the management team on overseeing the launch and operations of new events and industry segments. Monteferrante came to World Market Center after serving as National Sales Manager – Las Vegas for The Freeman Companies, one of the largest general services contractors to the trade show industry, specializing in producing large scale expositions and conventions. “This key group of managers and their respective teams has played a critical role in the unprecedented growth and realization of World Market Center as the world’s destination for home furnishings,” commented Jack Kashani and Shawn Samson, co-managing partners of World Market Center. “These well deserved promotions are reflective of the professional commitments these individuals have made as leaders, and their successful efforts to ensure World Market Center is the home furnishings industry’s destination internationally.” “World Market Center is privileged to have an amazing team executing the vision of our founders and partners,” said Harvey Dondero, chief executive officer of World Market Center. “World Market Center’s goal is to continue to raise the bar by bringing greater value to the experience of both exhibitors and buyers and to set a new standard for trade show and market model for the home furnishings industry.” World Market Center employs more than 100 permanent employees on a year round basis in addition to bringing in approximately 1,000 temporary workers during semi-annual markets. Further, there are more than 2,000 construction subcontractors working on the next building. World Market Center is home to the semi-annual home furnishings event, Las Vegas Market, which was named to Tradeshow Week’s annual list of the Top 200 largest tradeshows of 2006—twice over. The January 2006 Las Vegas Market ranked number 41—the highest debut of any new show appearing on the Tradeshow Week 200 for the first time. The inaugural Las Vegas Market held in July 2005 was the largest tradeshow launch in U.S. history. The inaugural show also won top national honors by Expo Magazine and was named “Best New Show” for 2005 for its well-designed strategies and unprecedented results. World Market Center, developed by World Market Center, LLC and The Related Companies, LP, is the largest new trade show complex in the country, connecting all categories of the home and hospitality furnishings industry. When complete in 2013, World Market Center will consist of eight buildings totaling 12 million square feet and will have invested $3 billion in the downtown Las Vegas 57-acre integrated campus. When fully built, it will be the largest trade complex in the world.