The Midwest Furniture Club, the organizers of the Midwest Furniture Show announced that, "In a sign that the economy is showing signs of recovery, the 3rd Annual Midwest Furniture Show exceeded expectations and drew rave reviews from both exhibitors and attendees."
The show was held July 29th and 30th at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL. Retailers from as far away as Vermont were in attendance. Minnesota, Ohio, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois retailers were present in abundance.
This year’s show drew over 300 dealers and 600 attendees, bypassing projections by the Midwest Furniture Show’s organizers by 70% “We planned for 200 accounts and 400 attendees, but by the end of the first day, we had 195 companies attending,” said Michael More, the show coordinator for the Midwest Furniture Club. “The response of the furniture community was outstanding. We more than doubled our attendees from last year. This year, we also had more than 80 exhibitors showing.”
“We’ve learned a lot over the last two years putting this show together. With a brand new venue, and a lot of work to spread the word on the success of last year’s show, it was great to see the Midwest Furniture Club's hard work rewarded. We had great support from our manufacturers and an incredible turnout. We are very happy with the success of this show,” said Midwest Furniture Club President Geoff Weed. “We have already begun planning for the 2010 Show.”
Attendees were treated to complimentary breakfast and lunch, as well as a social hour at the end of each day. A drawing for complimentary dinners at a number of nearby restaurants was held each evening for 20 lucky attendees. A charitable donation from the successful Midwest Furniture Club's Golf Outing was presented to Alternatives in Education for the Hearing Impaired during lunch on the first day.
Machiko Penny, the merchandise manager for Top 100 retailer Walter E Smithe, was happy with the local show. “We enjoyed the opportunity to see some new products from existing lines we carry. We also found a couple of new lines that we have an interest in. The time was well spent and we appreciate all the effort that went into this successful show.”
This years show was attended by large and small retailers alike. "This show had a lot more to offer than I had ever expected," said Howard Fager Case Goods Buyer of Top 100 retailer The Roomplace, "We were amazed at the turnout and the increase to our membership for our organization due to venues such as this years show" commented Ted Weisbach 1ST Vice President and Membership Chair.
Walter E. Smithe Jr. commented “With business conditions so slow, no one would have been surprised if the Midwest Furniture Club had decides to skip this year's show. They went ahead and put on the best show ever and I think it will benefit everyone's business.”
Barbara Hemmelgarn, who came from Florida to attend the two days show and is the Vice President of Merchandising for Brook Furniture Rental found the show “very productive” and vows to attend again next year.
Many of the exhibitors cited the ease of showing and the unexpectedly high number of attendees for their decision to show again next year. The Midwest Furniture Club offered a complete package for the square footage rental which included set-up, delivery of the goods as well as promotional mailings and a web site. (http://midwestfurnitureshow.com) “We had a very good experience at the Midwest Furniture Show,” reported Kris Thomsen a sales manager for Boyd Specialty Sleep Products. “It was well organized, a wonderful venue, and well-attended by customers. A productive show overall for Boyd Specialty Sleep Products.” Of the 48 exhibitors polled, 46 noted they would show again next year, and 2 were unsure of their plans. Many exhibitors have already asked for a larger space in anticipation of a bigger show in 2010. “We are doing everything we can to the facilitate the requests for more space next year,” said More.
Chris Melvin who represents Best Chair locally was thrilled in the ease of participating “Pretty much all I had to do was to show up and open the space. We appreciate it and will be back again next year.”
The show was conceived as a way for local furniture retailers who do not travel to High Point or Las Vegas to enjoy some of the benefits of the larger shows. “As the Illinois rep I saw more people here than High Point, Vegas and Tupelo combined,” said Tom Burton of Eagle Furniture.
Several bedding companies participated this year and reported excellent results. While breaking down his space after the show, Jeff Roberts of Corsicana Bedding was ecstatic, “I still am flying. I am doing a body count of visitors to my booth, but we were so busy that it was impossible. The show just keeps getting better every year”
A veteran on the trade show circuit, Sonny Cassady, owner of Cassady Closeouts, compared this show to many of the others he attends “I participate in many shows all over the US. Furniture shows including High Point, Tupelo, the Karel shows, Closeout shows and others. This show was the best conducted gathering in which I have participated.”
The Midwest Furniture Club is the Chicago chapter of IHFRA and was honored as the 2007 and 2008 IFRA Chapter of the Year. Michael More was awarded the Rudy Steltmeir Award in part due to his efforts of organizing the Show this year. The Midwest Furniture Club estimates that over 20 new members have joined the Club this year to participate in the Show boosting the membership to record numbers in 2009.
