Toronto market to be largest ever
By Michael J. Knell -- Furniture Today, January 5, 2003
Toronto — With 475 exhibitors in nearly 500,000 square feet of display space, this year's Canadian Home Furnishings Market will be the largest in its 31-year history.
Organized by the Quebec Furniture Manufacturers Assn., the show officially opens Saturday, Jan. 11.
There are several new wrinkles to this year's event, including the addition of seven outside showrooms as fully accredited exhibitors. In previous years, these factory showrooms weren't listed in the show guide, weren't included in market promotions and didn't have designated pick-up and drop-off points for the shuttle service they operated for buyers.
The showrooms include five upholstery producers, one case goods importer and a case goods manufacturer: Décor-Rest; Distinctive Designs; Edgewood, with its Brentwood and Campio subsidiaries; Leather Craft; Superstyle, including its Trendline and Simmons Upholstery Canada divisions; Hamilton & Spill; and T&J Furniture.
For the first time in a number of years, the market will have a featured speaker. High-profile demographer and author David Foot will speak on "How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Shift" on Sunday, Jan. 12 at 8 a.m. Open to all market attendees, the event is co-sponsored by the QFMA and Cantrex Group.
Foot is best known as the author of "Boom, Bust & Echo" and has just published "Profiting from the Demographic Shift in the 21st Century."
For the third consecutive year, the CHFM will have a Trends Display in Hall 5 of the Toronto International Centre of Commerce. Created by the Montreal-based design team of Pierre D'Anjou and André Caron, the display seeks to inspire retailers with ideas for in-store displays. This year, 25 manufacturers are featured in six large and 12 small vignettes.
The social calendar includes a kick-off cocktail party and a reception for the Trends Display (see box at right).
On Sunday, Jan. 12, the 2003 Canadian Home Furnishings Awards Gala will be held in the Aviation Ballroom.
Formerly called the Trilliums, the awards celebration traditionally was held on the Friday night before market opened. However, the competition won't be judged until just before market opens, prompting the rescheduling of the awards presentation.
The market has grown in the past few years. Last year, 6,198 buyers representing 3,238 stores from Canada, the United States and abroad attended the show, up significantly from the 5,398 buyers representing 2,893 stores that attended in 2001.
Based on requests for pre-registration, the QFMA is confident last year's attendance figures will be matched or exceeded this year.
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