By Caroline Kennedy and Meredith Schwartz -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 7/30/2008 1:00:00 PM
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| Rod Stewart rocks the house. |
Opening day of the market got off to a busy start that saw attendees streaming into the three buildings and long lines at registration desks throughout the day. Registered attendance was reported to be up 35 percent over the January market. On the upper floors of the new building, the hallways seemed busy with people, browsing showrooms, exhibits or trying to find their appointed destinations in the new building. Some exhibitors even reported early order-writing.
The temporary exhibits, all brought on campus for the first time, are set up in a block of unleased showroom spaces on the fourth floor of the new building. The wide aisles and straightforward pattern make them easy to browse, but minimal signage and numbering — mostly on the floor — makes it tricky to find a particular destination. We found a number of familiar faces from the gift shows including Tervis Tumbler, Pearlessence and Country Home Creations.
Throughout the first day, there was a palpable buzz of excitement as those serious about doing business, as well as the curious, explored the new venue and anticipated the evening’s big events — the official ribbon-cutting ceremony and the rock concert.
On Tuesday morning, however, some market-goers wondered where all those bodies that had filled the pavilion to capacity for the concert had gone, at least in the new building, where lower floors were more sparsely attended. A good number of exhibitors spoke of a slow start to the day, attributing the shortfall to everything from too much late night fun Vegas-style, to appointments at the more established showrooms in Buildings A and B, as well as, of course, to the economy. Many noted that “the new traffic patterns [of buyers working the market] haven’t been established yet” and remained hopeful that traffic would pick up later in the day (as it seemed to) or week, especially with the weather-related flight delays preventing some market attendees coming into Las Vegas from the East and an earthquake in the Los Angeles area possibly causing delays as well.
One exhibitor, taking the long view measured in years, told Gifts & Decorative Accessories, “It will take a long time to build [sales and business here], but it will be worth it,” A happy few reported already reaping those rewards, including K. Hall Designs. And following the pattern of this summer's earlier markets, many vendors mentioned that those buyers who are here are buying.
Ribbon Cuttings
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| OneCoast ribbon cutting |
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| Kathy Ireland and Francis Chen |
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| Jean Boggio for Franz |
When asked how the new collection might inspire new directions in her design work with Franz, Kathy Ireland replied, “Working with Francis Chen and Franz to bring art into the home is a wonderful partnership. There are many areas in which we can expand. And in fact, we are having a design meeting later today. One area that we are looking at is expanding our architectural style guides.”
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| Jim Shore cuts folk art cake |
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| Artisan Studio cut the sculptured metal ribbon |
Showroom Debuts
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| CatStudio |
CatStudio, known for its geography collection of hand-embroidered pillows is one such “newbie.” Helen Watson noted, “We made this investment in our first showroom because we believe in this market for the future. Those vendors who are still taking a wait-and-see attitude about Vegas are making a big mistake. Those who are here are reaching out to a new market and are getting known by being here.” G&DA got a sneak peek at the new beach towel designs that will debut in January.
Midwest soft-launched its new showroom in Building C. The company only brought a part of its line to this market, so the showroom has a more minimalist look to it compared to the other Midwest showrooms. Midwest’s Renee Solczak commented, “We didn’t know what to expect, but our traffic has been strong. We’re seeing many new customers — from Connecticut to California. Buyers are looking for more everyday product that they can bring in now … they are looking for new product, but they are also looking for new places to find it.” The official opening of Midwest’s showroom will take place in February 2009, and then, according to Solczak, “It will be over the top!”
Barreveld moved over from Building B. The space is much larger and set up to give the feeling of walking into someone’s home. The entire showroom is broken down into different room settings – living room, dining room, conservatory, etc. The back of the showroom, which actually faces out on another hallway, opens into a very contemporary space for DK Living, which is a stark contrast.
SPI/Belaverra now has a home of its own, with its new corporate showroom. “We have expanded our base of customers and opened many new accounts,” said Ron Knutson.
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| Elements, div. of Lifetime Brands |
Over in Building A, The Phillips Collection took over a prime showroom spot right off the escalators on the second floor. The company is known for its collections of design forward “hand touched” contemporary pieces. Jason Phillips noted that the company is making a push to come out with more eco and outdoor pieces. They will also be debuting a furniture collection in High Point in October.
Italian Showcase
An attention-getting exhibit, Design Italiano, on the ground floor of Building C showcased examples of the best of Italian furniture design from 1956 to 2008. The exhibit marks the beginning of a collaboration between World Market Center and Fiera Milano, the Italian tradeshow organizer. Mr. Sandro Bicocchi, chairman and CEO of Fiera Milano, explained that because there are new challenges in the market today that we all face, they felt that, for the next five years, they needed to think of new ways of growing their fair. “We need to stop drinking out of the same glass; we need to drink from the ocean. We have to be more global.” Seeing how World Market Center and The Las Vegas Market have grown in size and international reputation and with an eye to the future, Fiera Milano feels that establishing a partnership with WMC is a good step toward becoming more global. Fiera Milano will continue to have a presence at WMC to build relationships with buyers and exhibitors. It will also invest in building up and marketing Macef over the next three years to increase international awareness of Italy’s premier gift and home tradeshow.
What’s In in Vegas
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| Eangee Home Design |
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| Cyan Designs |
In addition, watch for yellow, especially combined with grey, white, and black; already popping on fashion racks, the colors are starting to show up in home. Groupings of multiples that are merchandised for use together, as well as a display effect, are seen in everything from candleholders at 18 Karat to Buddha heads at Phillips Collection to wall décor at Art Classics Ltd. Metallic finishes on ceramics as well as actual metal, appear on candles and reed diffusers from Trump Home by Pearlessence and vases from KoKoWare and Lux Avenue Design.
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| Lojo Balls |
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| Lamoon |
Curious as to why some buyers came to The Las Vegas Market, we stopped a pair of brothers from Staten Island, NY. “This is where it is happening,” remarked Alan Bram of DormUniverse.com. Their only criticism? They were disappointed in the children’s furniture area. They had expected it to be more.
