New furniture, home decor on display at Las Vegas Winter Market
Tens of thousands of home design professionals are gathering in Las Vegas for the Winter Las Vegas Market, which bills itself as the most comprehensive furniture, home décor and gift market in the United States.
The city becomes the center of attention for new home furnishings and design ideas as 4,300 lines of bedding, indoor and outdoor furniture, lighting, flooring, accessories and gifts are on display across 40 floors of event space. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority estimates 50,000 will attend the show that runs Sunday through Thursday.
Buyers also will be viewing 12,000 square feet of new furniture products such as bedroom and dining from Emerald Home Furnishings; mattress and bedding from MotoSleep; casual dining, occasional tables and home office from Steve Silver Company; and outdoor furnishing from Sunset West USA. Other featured products on display will be Australian textiles, oriental rugs, wallpaper, home décor and gifts, glassware, candles and wedding accessories. The Gift Pavilion is showcasing house wares, gourmet foods, jewelry, apparel, personal care, baby and kids, stationery, and lifestyle products.
Bob Maricich, chairman and CEO of the company behind the expo, International Market Center, said apparel is the next frontier for the show.
“When you walk into a gift shop at a hotel or a museum, you look around and realize it’s just not gifts or souvenirs,” said Maricich. “There is headwear and footwear and shirts and this is where we’re moving in the coming years. Gift buyers want to look at this type of product.”
With over 5,000,000 square feet of showroom space in World Market Center’s A, B and C buildings and The Pavilions, the showrooms are approaching full occupancy. Expansion is underway on a new Expo Center adjacent to Building C and that is set to be home for the temporary exhibits during Market and also available for year-round use for non-Market events. It is scheduled to open in summer 2020.
“This state-of-the-art Expo Center has 315,000 square feet of exhibit space divisible into two halls — North and South — which can accommodate up to 1,000 booths,” said Maricich. “There will be an expansive lobby area, registration area, onsite shuttle bus depot, attached parking garage and two permanent ‘grab and go’ food service areas. During the show, the Center will become the gateway to its entire marketplace, and its contiguous positioning with Building C will improve attendee traffic flow between Las Vegas Market’s permanent showrooms and temporary exhibits.”
In her recent State of the City Speech, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman was enthusiastic about the future of World Market.
“Of course, we are also excited about the grand opening of the new 350,000-square foot International Market Expo Center,” she said. “This is a keystone development in terms of convention space in our downtown and bringing major trade shows to the heart of the city. We are excited to officially open this new project this summer. The World Market Center has been an amazing development in downtown bringing in business and visitors to the city’s core.”
Maricich said International Market Center will continue to grow in Las Vegas.
“Our show here is a great source of pride for us,” he said. “And for those who live here, we’re under the radar but we know what impact we have.”
It won’t be all work for those attending Las Vegas Market. The Mid Mod Mix Up Bus Tour is a Las Vegas local event showcasing West Coast design, architecture and lifestyle. Rock Stars in the Kitchen is a gourmet demonstration with Kelly Hanson, lead singer of Foreigner, and the Market Kick-Off Party presents performances by Cirque du Soleil, in the Grand Plaza Courtyard. After Market hours, attendees can enjoy complimentary entry to a Hakkasan nightclub.
B2B advancement
On the back end, this year the show is launching IMC_di, a wholly-owned, stand-alone, B2B e-commerce division that will offer vendors a single integrated digital platform enabling them to reach new buyers, capture leads and grow sales. The e-commerce platform will allow buyers to transact in-person or online through one integrated account, seamlessly bridging physical and digital sales.
"This is a game-changing opportunity for IMC and the industries we serve," said Maricich.
The IMC_di team will number 47, including engineers, seasoned developers and marketers of software. Within 12 months, IMC_di will hire 50-75 full time employees with particular emphasis on solution-based product development, hands-on customer success, and on-boarding, and user experience.
