— Home Accents Today,
The High Point Market Authority will unveil a pair of new reception spaces created to serve the diverse and changing needs of retail attendees at the High Point Market.


An International Buyer Center, located on the 5th floor of Showplace, was designed with the international business traveler in mind. The comfortably furnished space will offer all the usual business amenities — Internet access, fax and copier machines and satellite news feeds — paired with a full complement of travel and concierge services, as well as a prayer and meditation room. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., the International Buyer Center will offer coffee in the mornings and lunch will be served daily from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 22.

“The new International Buyer Center has been created to welcome retailers from other countries and ensure that their visit to High Point Market is both thoroughly productive and enjoyable,” said Tammy Covington Nagem, vice president of operations at the High Point Market Authority. “The International Buyer Center is designed to be a place to regroup and rejuvenate, as well as a resource for the Market’s world travelers. Our concierge can assist with reservations for airlines, hotels, rental cars and local restaurants, foreign currency exchange, post-Market travel plans, local area information and more.”

Brian D. Casey, president of the High Point Market Authority, said these services directly coincide with the Authority’s strategic initiatives in further expanding its international brand in the marketplace. “The cultivation of the international community as an integral part of our Market is essential to sustaining our leadership position in the home furnishings industry,” Casey said. 

The Market Authority is also co-sponsoring a Buyers Lounge for domestic retailers on the top floor of The Suites at Market Square. Designed as an escape from the hustle and bustle of Market, the Buyers Lounge is comfortably furnished and features amenities for buying executives ranging from telephones, cell phone and Blackberry chargers, to Internet connections and fax and copy services. The Buyers Lounge will offer breakfast, lunch and cocktails daily, from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., beginning Monday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 22.

Both retailer reception spaces will feature boards displaying invitations to market events. Exhibitors and industry associations interested in posting invitations in either the International Buyer Center or Buyers Lounge should forward invitations to the attention of Tammy Covington Nagem at the High Point Market Authority, 101 South Main Street, Suite 801, High Point, N.C., 27260, no later than Oct. 9.