Las Vegas Market gains record-breaking Attendance

Published on : Saturday, September 29, 2018

Las Vegas Market has announced that a record number of both buyers and suppliers reported extensive order writing and extraordinary levels of energy and enthusiasm at the just-concluded Winter 2018 Las Vegas Market, from January 28 to February 1, 2018. The Market’s 4,300+ resources, which included a significant influx of new, first-time and expanding exhibitors, fueled 13% gains in overall buyer attendance, with vendors reporting commensurate increases in order-writing activity.

Robert Maricich, chief executive officer of International Market Centers, said, “Las Vegas Market gets bigger and better with every edition, and exhibitor participation and buyer attendance reached unprecedented highs this winter 2018. Against a back-drop of overarching industry optimism, we expanded both our permanent showrooms and temporary exhibits, which generated a corresponding, increase in buyer awareness, turnout and order writing. The attendance increases are incredible, but even more impactful was the quality of attendees, with buyers ranging from major chains to independent shops to high-end designers. These dramatic and dynamic gains are indications that Las Vegas Market is continuing to deliver an unrivaled market experience as the leading furniture, home decor and gift destination in the western United States.”

Buyers, designers and retailers from all across the United States and from around the globe attended Winter Market in search of innovative and on-trend furniture, home décor and gift products. The explosive growth in the breadth and depth of resources resulted in corresponding overall attendance expansion of 13%, as well as significant gains in each of the Market’s key attendee categories.

Specifically, the already-robust furniture segment experienced the strongest Market-to-Market gains, with attendance growth of 17%; the gift category registered attendance increases of 12%; attendance by home décor buyers grew by 9%; and attendance by interior designers, architect and contract/hospitality buyers increased by 9%.

Buyer representation spanned the nation and the world, with buyers from all 50 states and some 77 countries attending Winter Market. Within the U.S., the highest attendance was by buyers from California, Nevada, Texas, Arizona and Utah. Leading international countries represented were Canada, Mexico, China, Australia and Colombia.

Highlights of the Winter Market included a rich assortment of new product introductions and an increase in upscale exhibitors featuring better goods.  Notable launches included upholstery and case goods manufacturer Vanguard Furniture, which debuted a cross-merchandised package of furniture, decorative textiles and home accessories in conjunction with leading luxury bedding and accessories supplier Eastern Accents; major upper-end bedding manufacturer Restonic, which showcased its handcrafted mattresses in a new 14,115-square-foot showroom; and first-time housewares exhibitor Wüsthof debuted its high-end cutlery.

Additionally, leading casual furniture supplier Agio shifted their product development and introduction cycle to align with the Winter edition of Las Vegas Market, signaling a “game changer” for casual market product sourcing and shopping. Agio’s new strategy corresponded with a year-over-year 23% increase in casual buyers at Winter Market.

In total, 42 new and expanding furniture showrooms opened for Winter Market, bringing Las Vegas Market’s furniture resources to 2,000; along with significant growth in the bedding category, with 220 resources featured. Winter Market also featured some 2,300 gift and home décor lines complementing the Market’s 2,000+ furniture lines, including some 37 new and expanded gift and home décor showrooms. Growth has been particularly strong in the expanding gourmet category, reaching an all-time high at Winter Market with 650 gift-oriented housewares, tabletop and specialty food resources in both permanent showrooms and temporary exhibit space.

A notable high point of the Winter Market was the appearance of internationally-renowned architect and Pritzker Prize recipient Frank Gehry, who was awarded the 2018 Design Icon honor in front of an audience of more than 600, including a large number of architects and architectural program students.