Larry Thomas — Furniture Today
Pre-registrations ‘up significantly’

TUPELO, Miss. — Organizers of this week’s Tupelo Furniture Market, long a haven for promotions and market specials, believe the semiannual event is poised for a rebound.

Furniture market President Bill Cleveland said last week that pre-registrations were “up significantly” from last August’s show, and were even running moderately ahead of the February 2012 market.

“I’m really encouraged by the number of pre-registrations,” Cleveland said. “Traditionally, February has been our strongest show, and this looks like it won’t be any different.”

Market organizers have been concerned that the new Las Vegas market, which concluded its second show less than three weeks ago, would siphon buyers from Tupelo, but Cleveland said the early signs appear to indicate the Mississippi show is holding its own.

He said exhibitors and sales representatives are saying attendance should be heaviest from retailers in the Southeast, but they’re also expecting to see a number of dealers from other parts of the country, especially the Midwest.

“And we already have more Top 100 stores registered than we had at the August market,” he said.

The August show took place less than three weeks after the inaugural Las Vegas market, and most exhibitors reported attendance declines of 10% or more from August 2004.

Cleveland said market organizers are once again encouraging exhibitors to offer “Tupelo only” specials for buyers who place orders at market. He said the program was well received in August, and he believes participation will increase this week.

The effort is designed to capitalize on Tupelo’s reputation as an order-writing market and its niche in promotionally priced merchandise.