Lee Hershberg Joins IHFC as Vice President of Accessory Leasing

Furniture World Magazine

High Point building complex IHFC announced that it has named Lee B. Hershberg vice president of accessory leasing. Hershberg comes to IHFC with more than 13 years of trade-show experience. Most recently, as show director of the Kitchen and Bath Group at VNU Expositions Inc./Nielsen Business Media, he was responsible for orchestrating all aspects of the kitchen-and-bath industry's largest international trade show. "We are obviously very pleased to have Lee assume this key position on our team," said Tom Lindh, IHFC president and CEO. "He will help us enhance IHFC's position as the home-furnishings industry's No. 1 accessory shopping destination." Hershberg succeeds Martha Stewart, who has retired. Stewart, who has been with IHFC for 28 years, will continue to assist as a consultant, working with Hershberg to ensure a smooth transition. "She was instrumental in the formation of the IHFC Accessory Advisory Board, which was a foundation of the first cohesive presentation of decorative accessories in High Point," Lindh said. "During her tenure, IHFC accessory space grew from less than 100,000 square-feet to more than 550,000 square-feet, including two building expansions of accessory space in the Design Center and Hamilton Wings. In 1985, she was the force for developing the Accessory Preview, a separate publication which was the cornerstone for accessories at the High Point Market." Under Stewart’s leadership, accessories have grown in importance and assumed more real estate at the High Point Market and at IHFC. IHFC, the world's largest home-furnishings venue, has the most comprehensive lineup of accessory resources under one roof in the marketplace. It is also the home of top brands in lighting, wall décor, rugs and tabletop products. To ensure buyers for retail stores and interior designers remain committed to shopping at IHFC, Hershberg, who will report to Walt Goldsby, vice president of leasing, will be responsible for keeping the building's mix of accessory showrooms strong and fresh. Before assuming responsibility as director of trade shows at VNU/Nielson, Hershberg was account executive and sales manager in the company's Kitchen and Bath Group. Previously, he served as event manager, corporate sales manager and national sales manager at Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, and as event coordinator at the Louisiana Superdome. Opening in 1921, IHFC was the original showroom building in High Point and after 85 years of expansion remains the centerpiece of the world’s largest home-furnishings trade show that attracts more than 90,000 participants twice a year to 2,600 showrooms covering 11.5 million square feet. IHFC alone is home to 650 of the leading home-furnishings manufacturers, including 13 of the top 20 companies, and covers 3.5 million square feet.