Aug 18, 2015

Largest Summer Las Vegas Market exceeded expectations

Five new destination launches, increased registration and buyer attendance at Summer 2015 event

The largest-ever Las Vegas Market was highlighted by increases in new registrations and overall attendance, as well as expansion of showroom resources and the debut of five resource destinations. The summer 2015 Market celebrated its 10th year with five launches: casual/outdoor on C12 and 13; gourmet housewares on C11; better home décor on C5; and The Pavilions at Las Vegas Market featuring DISCOVERIES, a new temporary exhibit venue with 90,000 net square feet of exhibit space.

“We set the bar high for our tenth anniversary this August, and we exceeded our customers’ expectations, as well as our own,” said Robert Maricich, chief executive officer of International Market Centers (IMC). “We launched five new destinations simultaneously, introduced new-to-market showroom resources and debuted major showroom expansions by leading vendors like Christopher Guy, Global Views, The Phillips Collection, Michael Aram, Ivystone/CMA and many more. We have made exponential progress towards our goal of becoming the only ‘whole home and gift’ market in North America, and anticipate continued and remarkable growth as we continue to build upon our strong foundation.”

Overall attendance at the recent Summer Las Vegas Market was up 5 percent over last summer, and gift continued its double-digit, year-over-year growth with a 17 percent increase over last summer. Since Las Vegas Market’s gift and home décor strategic plan was launched in summer 2012, gift and home décor attendance has grown 180 percent. Buyers indicating an interest in housewares/gourmet in support of the C11 launch were up 61 percent over last summer and casual buyers were up 50 percent over last summer supporting the new outdoor floors on C12 and 13. The largest growth states for buyer attendance this market were again from the west and southwest, including California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Texas.

Even more important than the attendance numbers is the feedback from tenants and exhibitors that were experiencing good traffic, exposure to new customers and strong order writing at the market.

C5“It has been phenomenal and the response exceeds all of our expectations and orders are totally bananas,” said Mark Sage, owner of Bobo Intriguing Objects. “We came into the summer show with our eyes wide open and we are overwhelmed. Many West Coast buyers just shop this show and we needed that visibility. We foresee Las Vegas being THE show. The market is gaining momentum every show and we are glad to be part of it.”

Casual/Outdoor“This has been the biggest win for us; we have had an unbelievably successful Market,” said Steve Baut, Stocking Dealer Manager with Polywood All Weather Furnishings. “Since this was our first Las Vegas Market we didn’t know what to expect and this Market has surpassed any expectations we could have imagined. We’ve been able to touch base with dealers we’ve wanted to see and we’re extremely excited to see what happens in January. This has been the best Market for reaching new dealers. About 80 percent of the dealers we’ve seen are new to our brand.”

The Pavilions“We had the best first day ever at a trade show on Sunday and we are at a lot of shows,” said Kelly Stevens, owner, Fab Funky. “Monday also was strong with some repeat customers, but also 99 percent new clients. January was our first Las Vegas show, and summer market has brought a 50 percent increase, with orders three times the size of winter. We covered our costs on day one. We are seeing buyers from all over the U.S.”

C11 “We are seeing an upward trend in Las Vegas,” explained Amy Johnson, vice president, DII Catalog Sales-Design Imports. “IMC has put lots of effort and energy into attracting good buyers. The C11 launch marketing was helpful to us. There is a good mix of buyers here — small independent gift shops, plus the members of HTI and Gourmet Catalog from West of Mississippi, with lots of southwest and northwest (Washington, Oregon), as well as Kentucky and Texas buyers that couldn’t make other shows. We’ve met a lot of new retailers, and buyers attending in lieu of other regional markets because Las Vegas is comfortable to shop.”

Buyers at the recent market recognized the growth in depth and breadth of products providing a comprehensive buying experience for anyone in the gift and home industries.

“Summer Las Vegas Market was fantastic — very productive for our team,” said Niraj Shah, CEO, and Mike O’Hanlon, vice president business development & buying for Wayfair. The Casual/Outdoor launch on floors 12 & 13 in building C was awesome! We also love how densely populated ALL the buildings are becoming with exhibitors.”

Wendell Wo, owner of C S Wo & Sons, commented that this summer Market was “productive and always enjoyable! Over the last few years, Las Vegas Market has evolved into being a relevant and cutting-edge market. Getting more and more important suppliers to exhibit AND introduce new collections has made attending Las Vegas Market very important. And, of course, no one can beat Vegas in coordinating a smooth, well run convention with lots of after hour offerings!”

Winter Las Vegas Market runs January 24-28, 2016. For more information, visit www.lasvegasmarket.com.