HPMA Reports That 44,237 Buyers & Designers Visited High Point Show

Furniture World Magazine

While the majority of consumer products and home-related trade shows have been experiencing double-digit declines in attendance throughout the past year, the High Point Market Authority reported that total registrations (75,537) for the High Point Market this Spring were down only 8 percent compared to Spring Market one year ago.
 
Buyers and designers accounted for more than half—or 44,237—of all registrations, while exhibitors, sales personnel, students, press and guests comprised the balance.
 
“In light of the difficult environment, the number of buyers and designers who chose to make the trip to Market this Spring is really a testament to the strength of the High Point Market and its relevance to our industry’s leaders,” says Brian D. Casey, president and chief executive officer of the High Point Market Authority.
 
According to Casey, “The majority of exhibitors in High Point chose to be aggressive this Spring, and they came to Market better prepared than ever. They capitalized on the opportunity to increase market share by stepping up product development and marketing, and many of these companies are now reporting that they experienced record markets.”
 
“We had a surprisingly good market,” says Brian Sprinkles, sales and marketing manager, Whitewood Industries for example. “I guess everyone’s expectations, including ours, were a little lower than normal, but they were far exceeded in the end. The major buyers were here and they were here for a reason: to make a selection and place some orders. We made a concentrated effort, probably a four-month process leading up to Market, to reach out to accounts and continually remind them about our programs, services and products. When it came time for Market, we were on their radar. Our traffic was up in comparison to last Market, and we wrote some substantial business on our new introductions.”
 
Dixon Bartlett, who as principle of HB2 Resources consulted for two exhibitors—Turning House Furniture and Norwalk Furniture—recounts, “Right from moment one, both of our showrooms—Turning House, which was a new launch, and Norwalk, which was a re-launch, were busy, busy, busy…and we stayed busy in both showrooms right on through Thursday morning. Folks that we were hoping to see showed up, and lots of people that we didn’t expect to see showed up as well.”
 
Adds Reyna Moore, director of marketing, Norwalk Furniture: “The High Point Market exceeded our expectations in terms of the traffic that we saw. We knew we had to be in High Point and we had certainly done everything we could as a company to put our best foot forward, but how busy we were—from Friday right through to the end of Market—was just phenomenal.”
 
“In tough economic times, people turn to what they know, and they know that for the past 100 years the High Point Market has been the source for new products, new ideas and new solutions for those who are serious about the success of their businesses,” Casey says.
 
And serious they were. As Steve Crowder, chief executive officer, Guildmaster, notes, “Retailers were starting work early in the morning each day and we never got out of our showroom before 8:00 or 8:30 p.m. each night. They came to Market to work, and they were looking for something to give their stores excitement. One woman came in and said, ‘I wanted to come here first because I really get inspired by your merchandise and I plan my shopping around it.’ Then she unfolded a list of manufacturers that she planned to see. There must have been 60 names on the paper. I thought, ‘My gosh! She’ll be going non-stop for the next 5 or 6 days in order to see all those companies!’ ”
 
“We know that some 2,475 buyers returned to Market this Spring after being absent for at least a year or more,” Casey says. “They tell us they are returning to High Point because they can’t find what they need at other markets. At the same time, we welcomed 7,807 new buyers who had never shopped High Point Market before, and more than 1,500 international buyers from around the world traveled to High Point to experience the breadth and depth of this Market. And, of the 14,769 designers shopping our Market, 2,498 did so for the first time ever.”
 
“A designer friend of mine just opened a retail outlet, and initially she said she couldn’t afford to come, but in the end, she said she couldn’t afford not to come,” relates Ruth Olbrych, principle, Antiques by Zaar. She said, ‘I need to know what’s out there. I need to look fresh; I need to look vital.’ ”
 
Bartlett agrees. “If you retreat to the tried and true and the familiar, you are not going to help the customer out of the buying morass. In my opinion, this is the time to push yourself; it’s the time to try that thing you’ve been thinking about trying for a long time, and it’s about being innovative, and showing the customer something that is fresh and new.”
 
Jeff Scheffer, president, Universal Furniture, where attendance was up 2 percent, was among those exhibitors who participated in Pre-Market that headed into Spring Market 2009 armed with products fine-tuned by the positive feedback of market leaders. “We did a lot of work prior to Market, including participating in Pre-Market where we showed the new Paula Deen collection,” Scheffer says. “By 11 a.m. that Monday [at Pre-Market], we knew we had something that had the chance to be really special. We blew the doors off at Market. There is a rock-star quality about Paula that created a real buzz in the Market and the product was received very well.”
 
“In addition to the success of Pre-Market, we knew Spring Market 2009 was destined to be a success based upon the feedback we received from our IHFRA Ambassadors leading into Market,” Casey says. “The work they did in helping us spread the word about the importance of attending Market in difficult times was invaluable. These veteran salespeople know that the magic of High Point lies in the opportunity to meet key individuals, ask questions, make new contacts and build upon relationships.”
 
“They know that the strength of a market ultimately comes down to the quality of business conducted,” he continues. “There’s no doubt that all of the buyers and sellers who came to High Point this Spring will be better positioned when the economy again begins an upward climb. And market leaders across the industry are already making it clear that they intend to join us again this Fall, first at Pre-Market, September 14 to 15, and then again October 17 to 22 in the world’s home for home furnishings for the next edition of the High Point Market.”
 
The High Point Market Authority is the official sponsor of the High Point Market in High Point, North Carolina. Featuring an extensive selection of exhibitors spanning every category, style and price point and attracting thousands of visitors from more than 110 countries twice each year, the High Point Market is the driving force of the home furnishings industry.