Bill Clinton to give keynote at Las Vegas market

Press release


LAS VEGAS—(March 25, 2011) —World Market Center Las Vegas is rolling out the red carpet for President Bill Clinton, who will be the keynote speaker for the Summer 2011 Las Vegas Market, Aug. 1-5.

President Clinton’s speech, “A Conversation with Bill Clinton,” will focus on the challenge of globalization, emphasize our growing interdependence, and point the way toward a common future based on shared goals and values. Following his keynote address, President Clinton will participate in a moderated question and answersession. All registered Las Vegas Market attendees will have the exclusive opportunity to attend the keynote, sponsored by World Market Center and the iComfort® Sleep System by Serta®.


Complimentary and exclusively for registered attendees of Las Vegas Market, the private event will take place during Market’s opening night, Monday, Aug. 1 at 6:45 p.m. on the World Market Center campus and will be accompanied by a special reception for all attendees. Online registration for Summer Market opens next month and will offer attendees the opportunity to reserve their spot at the keynote event.


“Globalization has changed the furnishings industry more significantly than anything else in our time,” said Robert Maricich, World Market Center Las Vegas president and chief executive officer. “It indisputably has created new challenges as well as opportunities for our industry. Thanks to Serta, the event’s co-sponsor, we can provide our attendees with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear directly from President Clinton, a world leader and one of the foremost experts on globalization and the economy. Home furnishings professionals at Las Vegas Market will benefit from President Clinton’s insights and solutions on the most pressing economic and social issues in the U.S. and abroad.”


Retailers, designers, manufacturers and industry professionals planning to attend Las Vegas Market this August are encouraged to plan in advance and register online in order to receive their badges before the show. When registering, attendees are also encouraged to book their hotel rooms through World Market Center’s online hotel block to ensure discounted rates.


For more information, please visit www.LasVegasMarket.com.

Leather and upholstered furniture

Chaise style 498  in St. Thomas Cinnamon red

Upholstered furniture manufacturer Massoud showed its latest fabrics and frames at the Las Vegas Market earlier this winter. Massoud has a growing collection of sofas, chairs, ottomans and benches in traditional to transitional styles.

The Savvy Amaretto base cloth fabric is shown on the curved sofa (below). The furniture maker also works with premium quality, pure aniline, full‐top‐grain domestic and Italian hides. Customers can mix and match textures and colors, combine leather and fabric, and choose from countless details like nail heads and other trims, to create the look they seek.

Round-back sofa with Savvy Amaretto fabric

Nottinghill Platinum leather on loose pillow back sofa

Wing chair with Monte Cristo Cigar
cover and animal print

Custom headboards with mirrors

 

At the Las Vegas furniture market, Howard Elliott Collection featured a new headboard concept in low and in tall profiles. It combines a mirror, headboard and CTC Pixels. (CTC is a sister company.) Pixels are upholstered panels that come in a variety of colors and textures and used to create soft and elegant surroundings.

The Low profile measures 47.5 inches tall, 70.25 inches wide and 2.5 inches deep. It fits two rows of four CTC Pixels. The Tall profile is 63.5 inches tall and fits three rows of four pixels. The headboards are available with 20 different colors of CTC Pixels™.

Two good chairs from Las Vegas

Two chairs were named winners in the third annual “One Good Chair” competition, sponsored by World Market Center Las Vegas and the Sustainable Furnishings Council. An awards ceremony was held Jan. 26 at World Market Center.

Eric Tong and his Zpine chair

Eric Tong’s Zpine chair received the grand prize and Juan Mercado’s RE_Flex chair won in the People’s Choice category.

The grand prize winner, Tong, from London, England, created his chair using a honeycomb core (also known as “cellular structure”). The piece converts seamlessly between a chair and a chaise, collapsing with ease. Tong said he chose honeycomb for its magnificent strength-to-weight ratio and because it’s inexpensive, sustainable and biodegradable. He received a $4,500 cash prize that he says he will apply towards the manufacturing and marketing of the chair.

Juan Mercado and his RE_FLEX chair

Juan Mercado of Jackson, Mich.,  created his chair from a standard 4-by-8-inch wood sheet. The chair can be used as a sleek modern desk chair or a comfortable reading/rocking chair, depending on the owner’s mood. Its design is simple yet sophisticated, and requires minimal packaging and space for shipping.

The goals of the competition revolved around minimizing material, production, shipping and assembly while maximizing comfort, utility, durability and beauty. Sustainable Furnishings Council members, including The Phillips Collection and Handy Living, created prototypes of some of the finalists’ designs. More than 360 participants submitted entries in the competition, representing both professional and amateur designers. Five finalists mastered the seeming paradoxical challenge of celebrating abundance while doing more with less.

The final jury included television host, writer and producer Sarah Backhouse of “Planet 100” on the Discovery Network’s Planet Green, Shashi Caan of Shashi Caan Collective, Kira Gould, director of communications with William McDonough + Partners and Zem Joaquin, founder and CEO of ecofabulous, the online source for the “well-lived eco-life.” The jury selected the grand prize, or “Judges’ Choice” winner, while the public voted for People’s Choice.

Other finalists for the competition include the following:

• Helena Bueno, Brazil, Broom Chair: This simple yet whimsical chair is made from nine sticks of birch wood that fit easily into a bright plastic seat. It’s playful, yet remarkably efficient to mount and collapse—all of the sticks can be removed and requires no glue, nails, screws or metal components.
• Tom Fereday, Australia, Allt Chair: This linear-framed chair is reminiscent of classic handcrafted Danish furniture, with a mesh and fastening system that are 100 percent contemporary. Made from recyclable birch plywood and stainless steel components, the chair uses non-permanent fasteners and can easily be disassembled, reducing its environmental footprint on a number of levels, from beginning to end.
• Klaus Peter Berkemeyer, Germany, ELXE: Elegance meets functionality in the ELXE. The backrest and seat are made of two molded wooden shelves, which merge with two wooden legs that also form the armrests. With two light front legs of stainless steel, ELXE can be dismantled into just four components for easy moving or storage.

Wall-hung mirrors in custom colors, finishes

The Howard Elliott Collection offers a selection of decorative mirrors, accessories and alternative wall art. The company can provide custom designs and finishes for retailers, designers and hospitality clients. See the company at the Las Vegas market. 

Mexican artist Karla d’Lara to show in Las Vegas

One hundred and fifty works by Mexican artist Karla d’Lara will be shown in the Phillips Collection showroom (suite A202) at the World Market Center, Las Vegas. d'Kara has created sculptures, tables and accessories for 2011.

New lamps, new showroom in Las Vegas

To better showcase the breadth and depth of its growing line of soft contemporary, simple modern home décor, Nova is relocating and expanding its space at the World Market Center for the Jan.24 to 28, 2011 Las Vegas Market.

The new 3,000-square–foot showroom is A-355. The company will maintain its original 1,650-square-foot location, A-333, during the Winter market. Here are some of the portable lamps the company will exhibit at the winter markets in Dallas and Las Vegas.

Throw pillows with pig, beetle designs

Peking Handicraft's Pig Portrait Hook Pillow measures 18 inches by 18 inches. See it at wholesale gift shows in Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas and New York.

The Red/Green Beetle hook pillow is made of 100% wool and cotton. It measures 18 inches square.

Peking Handicraft is an international manufacturer and wholesaler specializing in home textiles, decorative accessories and giftware. The company offers a variety of looks, from contemporary to country to cottage. The company features licensed products by more than 30 of the top designers.

Las Vegas gift show report

press release

World Market Center Las Vegas’ Inaugural GIFT + HOME™ Show Exceeds Expectations with Record Number of Gift Buyers in Attendance

56 percent Increase in Gift Buyers Compared with Previous Year; Explosive Growth in First Time to Market Attendees

(LAS VEGAS)—September 09, 2010—Continuing to build momentum in becoming the West’s premier destination for the gift industry, World Market Center Las Vegas’ inaugural GIFT + HOME™ show, which ran in tandem with the Summer 2010 Las Vegas Market, was an overwhelming success, attracting 35 percent more gift buyers than the Winter 2010 Market and increasing buyer attendance by 56 percent compared with the previous year.

The GIFT + HOME show, the first-ever gift-focused event inside of Las Vegas Market, provided market attendees with access to a growing number of leading gift and home décor manufacturers. The show featured more than 350 temporary and permanent showrooms encompassing more than one million square feet of dedicated space. According to post-market figures, 59 percent of attending gift buyers were first time attendees to Las Vegas Market, marking an 85 percent increase in first-time gift buyers and a 49 percent increase in first-time accessory buyer attendance.

“The success of our inaugural GIFT + HOME show brings us another step closer to realizing our goal of becoming a ‘total home’ market where a diverse mix of categories are represented,” said President and Chief Executive Officer, World Market Center Las Vegas, Robert Maricich. “The GIFT + HOME and specialty store sector continues to expand at Las Vegas Market, now representing more than 20 percent of our total business. Our mission is to build upon this success and continue to grow the GIFT + HOME show by attracting new exhibitors, providing fresh and forward-thinking programming for attendees and offering our buyers an experience they will not find anywhere else.”

Meanwhile, other highlights of the August GIFT + HOME show included the addition of more than 60 new-to-market exhibitors, including leading manufacturers Russ Berrie, Demdaco, Yankee Candle, Natural Life, Peking Handicraft, Melrose International, Couronne, Mercana,
as well as many others representing a wide range of categories such as seasonal, floral, decorative accessories and general gift. Additionally, holding the GIFT + HOME show in conjunction with the Summer 2010 Las Vegas Market, provided added value to retailers, exhibitors and buyers, allowing for vast crossover potential among the existing industry sectors.

First time exhibitor Ferne Bork of Yankee Candle said, “We are really impressed. The facility is easy to shop and the people have all been incredible and helpful. We enjoyed seeing many customers and many soon-to-be customers we met for the first time.”

Richard Wood, director of sales for leading gift manufacturer Russ Berrie, commented on their participation in the first time Gift+Home show. “The market has surpassed our expectations and we love this venue. We see this market continuing to grow and we will be moving to a larger showroom. Our customers have been talking about Las Vegas; we have seen our customers here as well as opened new accounts. This is definitely the place to be. We’ve seen more traffic here than expected and we are seeing a significant number of international buyers as well.”

Another new to market exhibitor, Lisa Robin of Couronne Company, said, “We wrote almost all new accounts and there are very good quality buyers at World Market Center.”

Buyers were equally enthusiastic with their first Las Vegas Market experience and came from across the country. As expected, GIFT + HOME had a strong west coast pull with 63 percent of buyers hailing from the west, 16 percent from southwest and 10 percent were from the midwest. From the east coast, 7 percent visited from the southeast and 4 percent attended from the northeast.

“We are pleasantly surprised with our first visit to Las Vegas Market and bought more product than we expected.  We found some new gift items and ordered from existing vendors.  We need a viable gift show for the west coast and hope Las Vegas Market continues to grow,” said Dave Dorsey, owner Dorsey’s Hallmark in Oakhurst, Calif. and member of Palmer Marketing.

Patti Bagnato, owner of Fiori's in Los Gatos, CA said “We shopped until we dropped and found many new lines and well-displayed showrooms.  World Market Center is becoming a buying destination for Gift.  The services offered by this well-run market made our shopping experience very enjoyable and buyer-friendly.”

The next GIFT + HOME at Las Vegas Market will be held January 24-28, 2011. Attendees can book discounted rooms online.

Candles and room sprays

New candle fragrances from Lakeshore Candle Co. include Cranberry Clementine, Vanilla Lime, Spiced Granola, and Pomegranate. A CandlePot Votive has a 25-hour burn time. An 18-ounce Click Clack Tin burns for 90 hours.
New room sprays complement the candle. Available in a 2.5-ounce aluminum spray bottle, scents include Lavender Eucalyptus, Lemongrass, Cucumber Apple, Sweet Bay Magnolia, Morning Rain, and Lilac. The company exhibits at gift markets in Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus (OH), Dallas, Las Vegas, Minneapolis and Philadelphia.

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Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Fun, whimsical and serious decorative accessories

Tozai Home has enlisted a roster of internationally known artists to design decorative accessory collections. Here is a sample from the artists and from uncredited designers. See more in the Tozai catalog, available at the website of the International Home Furnishings Center, High Point. Or, see the company at gift shows this summer in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York.

Magical Menagerie porcelain boxes from Natalie Lete, Paris

Mercury Drama Vases

Suzani embroidered notebooks. "Suzani" means needlework.

Sweet Children pencil cups and vases by M.L. Chiratorn Chirapravati, Bangkok

Hand-painted porcelain Bohemian jar by Jean Dange, Paris.

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Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Allstate Floral signs lease at Las Vegas showroom

press release

Allstate Floral Signs Multi Year Lease with

World Market Center Las Vegas

Leading Floral Importer Expands Brand with 4,000 sq. foot Showroom

(LAS VEGAS)—July 9, 2010—Allstate Floral, a leading importer of artificial silk flowers, hand wrapped flowers, flowering bushes, foliage and plants announced a new showroom location targeting west coast buyers at World Market Center Las Vegas.

The 4,000 sq. foot showroom is located in Building A-424 and will be welcoming attendees for the upcoming Summer Las Vegas Market, August 2 – 6. The presentation will feature domestically hand-crafted floral arrangements, imported premade designs, permanent greenery and domestically constructed trees & tree packages, containers, and accessories.

“We are excited to be opening our new showroom at the World Market Center in Las Vegas,” said Larry Gottlieb, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Allstate Floral. “A showroom presence at World Market Center is essential to reach the customer base in the west coast region.”

With other showrooms located in Atlanta, Dallas and High Point, the Cerritos, CA based Allstate Floral offers a wide range of product assortment with over 10,000 items including various programs and price points to fit the needs of its many customers.

Las Vegas Market will be held August 2-6, 2010, accompanied by the launch the new Gift+HomeTM and VegasKidsTM. For a list of Gift + Home exhibitors, visit the online directory at www.giftandhomelv.com. Attendees can book discounted rooms online now at www.LasVegasMarket.com.

About World Market Center Las Vegas

World Market Center Las Vegas is an integrated home and hospitality contract furnishings showroom and trade complex. The state-of-the-art campus showcases furniture, decorative accessories, gift, lighting, area rugs, home textiles and related segments, as well as the Las Vegas Design Center open daily to consumers and designers. World Market Center currently hosts the biannual Las Vegas MarketTM, the preeminent total home market along with INSPIREDESIGNTM, Gift + HomeTM and Vegas KidsTM. For more information on World Market Center Las Vegas and its shows, visit www.wmclv.com. Find us on Facebook and Twitter.

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Saturday Special: Tradeshow Exhibitors & Social Media

Trade shows and social media are made for each other.

Shows consist of you, your product and your customers. Social media allow you to share this information.

It's important to document the event. Besides your booth, the one key piece of equipment to take is a digital camera with video and voice recording capabilities. I've covered hundreds of trade shows from the media side. My digital camera has become as indispensable as pen and paper.

With this camera, you are creating the raw material for your social media and traditional  marketing efforts. You will use the photos, videos and sounds you record for:

With this camera, you are creating the raw material for your social media and traditional  marketing efforts. You will use the photos, videos and sounds you record for:

1. Facebook
2. Your website
3. Your blog
4. Twitter
5. Flickr (or other photo-sharing site)
6. YouTube account
7. Press releases
8. Internal sales presentations
9. E-mail newsletters
10. Brochures
11. Advertising

What should you shoot? You have to think like a newsman. Ask yourself: What interests my customers? What do I want my sales staff to know about my products? What story do I want to tell the media?

Assign someone on your staff to be the official photographer. Create a list of shots you must have. This might include: booth set up; products; ribbon cutting; award presentations (to customers or to staff); and customer interaction.

Think about what each of the social medium needs; that is, photos for Flickr and press releases; video for blog and website.

If you plan ahead, you will return from the trade show with six-months worth of material. The next step is to share that information.

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Feeling overwhelmed? I'm available to help tell your story. Give me a call.

This article originally appeared at www.jimbocarper.com

Monica Pedersen Tours The Las Vegas Market

Lamps, vases, decorative accessories

Lazy Susan USA is showing its new collections of decorative home accessories at gift markets in Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York. The company also exhibits in High Point.

Porcelain sea shells, Marlina crystal frame and winged boxes, and the Clamrose jardiniere lamp

Krustallos hanging lamps, rush Bateau bowls, woven abaca cloth mirror and matte Smoke vase

Indigo cut-crystal bowl and carved-wood hurricanes

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Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Tote bags, display ideas from Midwest-CBK

Retailers visiting Midwest-CBK showrooms during the January gift markets will receive a complimentary reuseable tote bag designed in-house and featuring the company’s “Design. Style. Sparkle!” motto. The tote is made of sturdy canvas.
The company also is giving aways CDs containing display ideas. According to a company press release: "Creative display ideas feature products from more than 20 new themes from Midwest-CBK’s new holiday, home décor, gift and candle collections, including Merry Little Christmas, Wonder Lights, Warm and Fuzzy, Snow Fun, Gracious Holiday, Tinsel Town, Peace, Sandy Shores, The Suzy Toronto Collection, Genuine Monkeez and Friends, Casa Cristina, Western and frames.
"For example, ideas include creating a vintage merchantile display complete with Santa chair, glass display case and streetlights; creating a candy shop display, filling glass containers with candy-styled ornaments and baubles; and building a sand box to frame a nautical display."
Midwest-CBK’s showrooms are in Atlanta, Billerica (MA), Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, New York and Seattle.

Floor and table lamps

The Maya accent and table lamps (in the lefthand photo) from Nova Lighting are made of plated satin nickel. One measures 28 inches tall; the other 24 inches tall. The cage bases have a simple white shade.
The Internal table lamp (righthand photo) measure 28 inches tall and has an in-line dimmer switch. The 58-inch-tall floor lamp has a foot dimmer.
See the company Jan. 14 to 18, 2010 at the Dallas International Lighting Market and Feb. 1 to 5, 2010 at the Las Vegas Market.

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Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

New 2010 jewelry show in Las Vegas

from a press release:
BALTIMORE, MD (October 6, 2009) With more than 500 professional artisans who produce fine art jewelry and related luxury gifts, NICHE: The Show will welcome trade buyers June 6, 7 and 8, 2010, at Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.

NICHE: The Show is the newest tradeshow presented by the Buyers Market of American Craft. It is the third show scheduled in The Rosen Group's line-up for 2010.

Drawing on nearly 30 years of tradeshow experience, The Rosen Group plans a Las Vegas show tailored to the needs of Jewelry Week buyers.

“Foremost, NICHE: The Show will be attractive to jewelry stores and the fine craft shops catering to discerning shoppers who value standout design and quality,” says Christine Kloostra, show director. “This is not the ‘same-old solitaire’ show; this is the ‘wow, my customer is a tastemaker’ show. Our professional studio and bench artists produce creative and custom lines and one-of-a-kind art pieces in gold, silver, diamonds, pearls and precious stones.”

In the current economy, consumers place a high value on handmade and one-of-a-kind objects that deliver style at a price point that is approachable, says Wendy Rosen, president of The Rosen Group. To appeal to the consumer who doesn’t want to wear what every other woman is wearing, artisan-designed-and-produced jewelry from the U.S. and Canada is the answer.

In addition, NICHE: The Show will be a jewelry store owner’s one-stop source in Las Vegas for fine gift, accessory and store display items, Rosen says.

“Jewelry stores have discovered that American handmade gifts, sculpture and art glass are hot categories that add beauty and elegance to their stores, and are great wedding and anniversary gifts for customers,” adds Rosen. “Nowhere else at Jewelry Week will you find such a selection of artist-designed and handmade ring boxes, presentation trays and bowls, sculpture, perfume bottles and other tabletop accessories in blown glass, ceramics, handcarved woods and embellished metals. This is art for your showcases and for the top of your customer’s vanity table.”


The Rosen Group publishes NICHE magazine, the exclusive trade publication for independent retailers of fine craft and jewelry, and AmericanStyle magazine, an arts lifestyle magazine for collectors, travelers and enthusiasts. The Rosen Group also produces the Buyers Market of American Craft tradeshows, scheduled February 12-15, 2010, with a jewelry preview February 11, in Philadelphia; and August 23-25, 2010, in Baltimore.

Furniture for the media room

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Atlantic Inc. has introduced a new line of entertainment furnishings. The Anniversary collection comes in a wide range of colors, materials, finishes, storage options, and accessories. The company is exhibiting this week at the Las Vegas furniture market.
The furniture supports 50-inch flat panels weighing as much as 135 pounds.

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Retailers: Contact the company for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Permanent florals

Natural Decorations Inc. (NDI) is showing a variety of its arrangementss of manmade florals at this week's furniture market in Las Vegas.

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Retailers and designers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer or designer to order this item for you.