Furniture Today,
HIGH POINT — A group of manufacturers will work to add more structure to High Point’s premarket, including assuring

that more market-ready product is available for retailers to see, officials said in a press release Thursday.

“What you understood as premarket will no longer exist,” said the group’s spokesperson, Brian Casey, president and CEO of the High Point Market Authority. “Our goal is to deliver the greatest value to the retailers in attendance, and that involves the preview of fully realized product introductions.”

He said the new premarket concept will debut Aug. 22-25, a Wednesday-through-Saturday run that is about five weeks before the fall High Point Market, which is due to open Oct. 1.

Those dates overlap the Tupelo Furniture Market, set for Aug. 22-26, and an Orlando, Fla., show operated by Karel Exposition Management, set for Aug. 24-26..

High Point’s premarket will be an “invitation-only affair … designed for the industry’s largest manufacturers and retailers,” according to the release. It added that participating manufacturers will contribute to the cost of premarket “to deliver a superlative customer service experience with transportation, meals, entertainment and networking options.”

A group of manufacturers and Casey met in High Point this week to discuss how to revitalize premarket. Casey will serve as a spokesperson for the event, today’s statement said.

“Premarket will not be a Market Authority-underwritten event because the Authority is publicly funded and our dollars are earmarked specifically to the biannual High Point Market,” said Casey. “We will, however, contribute resources to the coordination of the event, because a successful premarket ultimately supports and strengthens the High Point Market and its leadership role as the market for new product introductions.”

While the August dates appear to cover four days, the release said that premarket will encompass two days twice each year.

“In addition to an opening reception the night before, each morning will begin with a breakfast and panel discussion, followed by a working day of showroom visits. The evenings’ social agenda will include a formal cocktail reception and dinner for principals, and a second, more informal reception for all attendees, whether retailer, manufacturer, marketing executive or sales representative,” the release said.

Kevin O’Connor, chief executive of Samson Marketing, parent company of Legacy Classic and Universal Furniture, and a member of the group of manufacturers that met this week, said, “We’ve spoken to many of our customers and they’ve told us that if the event is executed as we envision, the new premarket would absolutely meet their needs. It’s a concept they will fully embrace.”

The release also quotes George Revington, president and CEO of Home Meridian International, parent company of SLF and Pulaski, who also took part in this week’s meeting.

“The feedback has been clear: The time has come for a more organized and structured model that involves retailers in a successful, valued and memorable experience,” said Revington.

The Market Authority released a list of companies it said were “involved in the reinvention of premarket:”
 
Wynwood/DMI
Vaughn
Huntington
Progressive/Royal Patina
Schnadig
Magnussen  Home
SLF /Pulaski
La-Z-Boy
Stanley
Rivers Edge
Primo International
Legacy  Classic
Bernhardt
Hooker Furniture
Universal
Casana/Palliser
Trade Masters
Vaughn-Bassett
Kincaid Furniture
England
Hammary
Riverside
International Home Furnishings Center
Merchandise Mart Properties Inc.