FT Survey: Comments on the Vegas market

Kay Anderson -- Furniture Today, September 19, 2005

HIGH POINT -- In a survey we conducted after the Las Vegas Market in July, Furniture/Today asked for responses to various questions and also gave respondents the opportunity to send written comments. Here are the comments, divided into general subject categories. Some comments are repeated because they apply to more than one category.

Future attendance plans

Comments about future attendance plans reinforce the perception that retailers want an alternative to High Point and that as the number of vendors showing in Las Vegas increases, High Point could become considerably less important.

Retailers said
* Many companies {were} missing {in Las Vegas}. I hope this improves because we would like to just go to Vegas two times per year and cut out other markets.

* Lots of the companies we would like to see will get the message soon enough to kiss High Point's rape of retailers and factories goodbye.

* Once the range of better companies to shop increases in the next few Las Vegas markets we will discontinue to visit High Point altogether.

* Need to see all companies. If all showed in Las Vegas, we wouldn't go to High Point.

* In High Point we have the opportunity to see most of current vendors and shop ones not currently doing business with. Attend many good seminars. Most lines show in High Point.

* For now we'll keep going to High Point, until Vegas is completely attended by all the key manufacturers.

* High Point expense is excessive for what you get — as Vegas show space grows I would love to stop attending High Point.

* Las Vegas is the perfect venue for shopping the furniture and accessories market. Once it is large enough I will not attend High Point again.

* We will go to High Point exclusively for the next year or two until Las Vegas mature and then probably not High Point.

* We would like to see more accessories and occasional {in Las Vegas}.

* There is just so much more in High Point. It will be hard to compete with the vast assortment that High Point has to offer. Vegas was a disappointing market for my type of business.

* In High Point it is easy to move from showroom to showroom, even when in other buildings. Very good shuttle service. Many showrooms serve food. Everyone shows in High Point. There are private homes to rent. They may need to publicize area attractions for spouses that do not want to shop market or to visit before or after market while in area.

* High Point needs to update the buildings. I mean, we are in a fashion industry and yet the buildings are tired and old. Need fresh lobby and hallway renovations to set the tone for a furniture show.

* High Point has the better new introductions and the most complete display of products. It is just tedious to shop because of the location and distance between showrooms.

* Las Vegas is too busy. There was a long wait for a cab at the airport, and to check into hotel (Bellagio), for everything!

* Las Vegas is not an important show. It was poorly run; logistics were horrible. Also expensive for what it was.

* It will take a few markets before the showroom space in Las Vegas is significant enough to be able to skip High Point.

* More product is currently shown in High Point for my store’s price points and style categories.

* High Point is High Point. It is boring, but we rent a house that is reasonable and don't spend a whole lot for meals, almost no nightlife or gambling.

* Of course I would like to see the cost of travel to High Point come down. However there is so much more offered at High Point that is well worth it. Tell me, for instance, what one company at the Vegas show would compare to any company in the 201 building.

* High Point is much more confusing to shop and much harder to see all the vendors or to even find all the vendors but It's the place to see more than the 10% we saw in Las Vegas.

* Las Vegas is a convention town. One can find reasonably priced rooms, cars, and restaurants.

* The transportation system in Las Vegas was incredibly hard. Even those who rented a car at $250 a day had bad luck finding a place to park it. The distances were so long. Just getting from the buildings to my hotel at night from the parking garage or shuttle to my room was the length of 5 or 6 football fields in walking. High Point is much better.

* We were ripped off by taxis and everyone offering services in Vegas.

Vendors and sales reps said
* The smaller independents are looking for a reason to NOT go to High Point. Vegas is not big enough yet. It will be. When it is, High Point may not be worth the expense.

* We do not wish to be in a market with a monopoly landlord {in Las Vegas}. It will remind us too much of the IHFC problem — and is guaranteed to be much more expensive. It’s too bad that the industry does not control its own market as to timing and to the extent possible, the costs.

* It may take 10 years, but Las Vegas will take over for High Point and once that happens, the market dates will change to match April-October.

* The lack of space will inhibit Las Vegas for some time. It is a great place for a market but our accounts have to continue going to High Point for majors and higher end that is not yet showing. We are trying to get a larger permanent showroom in building 2 and can't. High Point is safe for years but once the added square footage is available {in Las Vegas} watch out!

* This {Las Vegas} show will only get bigger and better. I hope they keep the customer in mind always and continue to offer excellent service and values.

* Vegas is presently a regional market. Primarily buyers came from California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Washington and Nebraska. Buyers from east of the Mississippi were either no-shows or curiosity seekers seeking tax write offs.

* Whoa Nelly! I got real tired real quick of walking through casinos and glitz.

* Most likely, we will add even more square footage in the new WMC market space. Our current 10,000 square feet is not enough.

* I believe Las Vegas will eventually be a superior market to High Point.

* We will introduce the majority of new product in Vegas and show breadth of line in High Point.

* Disappointed there were a hidden costs {in Las Vegas} that weren't expected. Transportation shuttles need to improve

* We will move into a permanent space in Las Vegas in the summer of '06, but only for a regional market.

* We’re not going anywhere! I hope the High Point buildings realize they are stronger together and start to work to improve the shockingly bad buyer experience that is High Point.

* Plane connections to Las Vegas were difficult because of storms, etc; Transportation to & from hotels to show was very disorganized. We had to wait 40 minutes for shuttle in 104 degrees heat. Shuttle drivers were not familiar with hotel locations and cabbies did not know about the WMC.

* The Las Vegas market is not going to bring us new customers, it is going to split our customers to different markets. We will be spending a lot more money to make the same amount of money.

Improvements needed in High Point

Retailers said
* High Point needs to realize buyers should be given a priority for parking etc. over vendors. There is no convenient quality restaurant operation.

* Build a 10-story parking garage NEAR the main building.

* Everything is just too expensive for this market, and there is NOTHING TO DO after the show closes at the end of the day.

* High Point raises their prices to charge more to the furniture dealers. Las Vegas rolls out the red carpet for tourists and visitors for business.

* Parking is a HUGE challenge in High Point.

* The shuttles don't go to and from as frequently as needed.

* Parking and shuttles need to be easier.

* High Point needs to update the buildings. I mean we are in a fashion industry and yet the buildings are tired, and old. Need fresh lobby and hallway renovations to set the tone for a furniture show.

* Each venue in High Point has a separate directory. I would like a binder sent before show with all the directories and hours of buildings — including freestanding.

* You do a lot of walking. I hate to pay $20 to park everyday.

* Requiring various market passes to get into different buildings is crazy.

* Run the market Monday through Friday, pass anti-gouging laws, lower room rates, free shuttles, change market times to January and July and get rid of CNN on the monitors.

* Literature needs to describe merchandise better and indicate opening order requirements and whether showrooms are designer-friendly.

* Standard opening dates in High Point would level the playing field...the big guys get in first and scoop up the best buys.

* Literature on each building is often only at that building. All literature should be available at each location. Suggest a binder so that each building can be removed when shopping that area or street. Should not allow showrooms to close early on the last day.

Manufacturers and reps said
* The show schedule in High Point (10 days, 11 hours per day) is overkill. Cut the number of days in half and reduce the show time to 8 hours per day.

* High Point needs one opening date that everyone honors and one pass for all buildings.

* I have been a professional rep for over 20 years and the High Point Market Authority still makes it difficult for me to enter the main buildings. Why don't you finally put together a rep database into your system? If I could I would NOT GO!

* They can stop lighting the full sign on the city parking buildings where there are plenty of available parking spaces. Add more convenient shuttles from outlying parking areas. Get the prices of the hotels/motels more reasonable. Automobile rentals are also far out of line.

* It is imperative that we have cellular communications that work in the main building. As long as cell phones do not work, we can't be where we need to be to work with our customers. The editorials all complain about prices, but that is not as important as being able to work efficiently while we are there. Beepers are worthless in the building. Think of how effective it would be for a receptionist to see one of our customers walk in - speed dial our cell phone and we could respond in second.

* Cell phone and pager coverage in the main building needs improvement.

Improvements needed in Las Vegas
* I think that Las Vegas should have offered more unique merchandise and interesting vendors. I was totally disappointed in the temporary large white tents that housed mostly large furniture vendors. I was prepared to spend several hours walking those tents as I thought they would be small vendors with wonderful new products and left after 10 minutes.

* Las Vegas needs a variety of showrooms; more selections.

* Most showrooms showed only a sampling of their lines.

* Get the Europeans who show at High Point and New York International Contemporary Furniture Fair to shift their presence to Las Vegas.

* Shuttle system needs a lot of work. There were not near enough shuttles ... plus the system didn't cover all the hotels!

* The shuttle system and routes were completely inadequate. We waited 45 minutes.

* Shuttle buses slow, off time, some drivers were rude.

* World Market Center did not help with transportation to the Sands Expo.

* Due to the extreme heat, it would be nice to offer a tram between sites.

* Transportation needs improvement. Hotels need to hub together to shuttle buyers. Or make a hub to drop off and pickup on a regular basis. Run big buses from there. Buses need to drop you off at one of the entrances, not out in the middle of the desert, where we have to walk. There was a poor setup on shuttles between other venues.

* Las Vegas must improve shuttle systems and must maintain close proximity to all showrooms for show to be an improvement to me. It defeats the purpose of better hotel rates and flights if I die of heat in the summer desert trying to get a taxi and get across town to yet more showrooms.

* A lot of people and cars not associated with the market, making it difficult travel. Shuttle service must improve. Hotels and others should be more aware of furniture market to provide information.

* WMC food was poor and expensive.

* Access to food was terrible!

* The food selection was very poor at the Las Vegas market.

* Food in Las Vegas was lousy and overpriced, almost as bad as Atlanta.

* There were not enough lunch options in Las Vegas during the show. The food in the tent was very expensive.

* The food was a joke at market … not enough and too costly.

* I felt ripped off by food vendors in market ... their rent must be too high.

* Increase selection of high-end showrooms.

* Add shuttle busses with better air conditioning!

* Fire the nasty people in charge of transportation!

* Elevators were very inconvenient.

* World Market Center was very cold, too cold — we dressed for the heat.

* The elevators were broken, the escalators were broken. Unless the showrooms were serving food, I didn't really see much for dining.

* Las Vegas needs to coordinate between buildings. It gives the impression that they are competing businesses.

Manufacturers and reps said
* It is too hard to say after a very first market what should be different. They need to work on traffic flow, food/catering, shuttles, but I believe much of that will be improved next market.

* Las Vegas will have to improve on transportation. Can't let room rates in January go up. Must get a handle on build out costs.

* Hopefully, they will not overlap the Las Vegas with New York shows. This does create a very difficult situation for manufacturers to staff and set both locations at the same time.

* Showrooms in Las Vegas were too small with the high traffic count. Dealers did not spend as long in the showrooms because of size and space constraints.

* Vegas needs to add more exhibitors as quickly as possible.

* Take a look at food prices in the building. Everything else worked extremely well especially the valet parking for disabled persons.

* The war between WMC and Furniture Expo has to end. It was a real inconvenience for both the dealers and reps who have to be at all three places.

* Please improve transportation. It took about one hour to go from the LA Convention Center to the WMC including wait times.

Showroom size
Retailers said:

* Hope {Las Vegas} showroom size increases.

* Showrooms with glass {in Las Vegas} were very nice. If you liked something you could go in and look farther. Showrooms will have to be bigger for some of the vendors.

* Most showrooms showed only a sampling of their lines.

* The smaller showrooms did not accommodate enough merchandise. I was unable to satisfy my juvenile bedroom and master bedroom needs.

* There were a ton of people in the very small showrooms — I don't like to shop that way. I know the vendors like it, but you can't see the product and it’s hard to write orders when you are packed in like sardines.

* In a few years when {Las Vegas} is grown up and much larger in showroom size and number of vendors and product assortment, I believe it will be the only show.

* You can't beat some of High Point's elaborate furniture showrooms like Henredon, Baker, Hancock & Moore.... Nobody in Vegas had their 'FANCY PANTS' on.

* The High Point market is a dinosaur, but the showrooms are better.

Manufacturers said
* We were unable to show everything we would have liked to. We will hope for a larger space in the future.

* We were unable to properly display or show enough product.

* We need more space {in Las Vegas} buts it is cost prohibitive.

* We need to triple the size of the Las Vegas showroom in order to give better product representation.

* We didn't have enough room for enough salespeople to adequately handle the traffic.

* We are a full line manufacturer. At the current space we didn't even have the space to display 10% of our recent introductions. High Point is still the king of space for now!

Cost/ease of setting up for manufacturers

About High Point, manufacturers said
* Everything in High Point is way overpriced! I love how nobody can give you a price quote, but they always say they will take good care of you. They take care of you all right! Very unprofessional.

* Finding day laborers that don’t steal from you is a challenge. The temp agencies charge way too much and contract the same guys you can hire off the street. They are also undependable in showing up with people when the say they will. One slight advantage is that the union is not a problem in High Point. But considering all facts we had a great experience working with the union in Vegas. May have cost a little more, but much more competent than High Point. Loading docks in High Point problematic!

* It’s easier in High Point because the labor force is not union and they have been doing it for years. The work force has a better understanding about furniture. Also, there is better vendor support, i.e., finish touch up, etc.

* Management and staff in High Point need to learn from Las Vegas where the people in Vegas so nice and helpful.

* There is a tremendous amount of history in High Point with the infrastructure that is there. It is easy to do anything in High Point ... if you know the procedures.

* We have a great crew in Furniture Plaza and we have worked with them for years. All systems work, if, you work within it.

 * The IHFC has always had an attitude, and makes exhibitors feel that they are privilege to even be allowed to show.

 * {In High Point} people friendly, easy access to management, NO TEAMSTERS!!! Costs of staying in High Point for two weeks to exhibit is what makes this show expensive.

The biggest complaints about Las Vegas center on unions and use of specified laborers.
 * Las Vegas definitely needs to address the temporary exhibits. Labor rates and freight handling rates are ridiculous. Furniture and accessories were randomly mixed together, probably as space was sold by the leasing office. We will be glad to get into our permanent showroom in Phase II.

 * My biggest problem with Vegas is that they insist you use their people, but so far their people have proven to be dysfunctional! Our cleaning people we hired through the mart didn't even show up the first four nights! They need to contract with more legitimate companies.

 * {Las Vegas} meant dealing with unions, lots of waiting, inefficiency and extra expense.

* Maybe because it’s because Las Vegas is new, but they hustled all the time. Anything you needed it was done on the double.

* Very frustrating dealing with exclusive contractor, costs very high.

* Champion Expo was a mess. They overbilled me, and also applied what I did have billed to someone else. On moveout I was extorted for cash to get things done and then they vanished.

* Distance of carrying supplies etc. is much farther in Las Vegas than in High Point. Drop off point too far away. During set up, can't drop off right in front.

* Union drayage was rapacious in Las Vegas. Four corner lights on our showroom costs $1300!!!!!!! We had to be out of the space in less than 24 hours and boxes weren't returned until late Friday night. The buses took nearly an hour to go from the permanent showrooms to the temps. The hotel buses from the strip took between 40-70 minutes every day. I can drive from downtown Greensboro in the middle of market, park, and get to my space in less time in High Point.

* Union guys were expensive, but very good.

* Working with Union labor is expensive, not timely, not user friendly — all in all, a pain.

* The cost of moving our furniture handled by Vegas union was much, much too expensive, affecting my decision not to show there in future.

* Teamsters Union was very expensive and difficult to work with.

* It was difficult to work with contractors, city and unions. WMC seems aware of situation and has assured a new sense of cooperation for future.

* Considering that this was a first time show, the WMC people were very responsive to problems when they occurred.

* We had to have our truck wait and wait to get a spot to move in. Then had to wait for the labor, who moved at their own pace. We were at the mercy of Champion Exhibition Services, who were difficult to deal with and inflexible.

* Logistics in Las Vegas were horrible. Union labor was a big disadvantage — very costly. The heat was a major negative — air conditioning was inadequate. Pre-market set-up was done with no air conditioning at all. Unpacking and pack-up of product was very difficult because of inadequate space to work.

* Per item & per square foot cost is more in Las Vegas than High Point. However, the other amenities of Vegas, reasonable hotel rooms (I paid less to stay at a Westin than to rent a one-bedroom house in a bad neighborhood in High Point) and easy transportation access to the city. The city is well facilitated to conventions, any conventions and doesn't seem one bit affected (except a bit more traffic).

* We were forced to use a set number of contactors that held us hostage. The cost in Las Vegas is two to three times more expensive than HP. WMC will get this worked out.

* Las Vegas was less expensive setting up because we showed about 10% of what we typically show in High Point. However, if it were apples to apples, Las Vegas would be considerably more expensive due to union labor charges and shipping expenses. Las Vegas challenged us to condense our showings and focus on our selling skills.

* The docks in Las Vegas were overwhelmed for several weeks. We had an appointment that meant nothing when we arrived. Our truck was delayed 15 hours while we sat with a set-up crew and nothing to do. Next January will be better as we know how to work within the system and they will have a better handle on the operation.

* Even though we had a small booth, they were always courteous and gracious. Las Vegas was all about pleasing everyone including exhibitors, unlike High Point, who made it a point of treating us like second-class citizens. Las Vegas had great customer service. When we presented problems to the WMC, they always addressed them.

* In Las Vegas, the union is a hassle to work with because of cost and the limited choice of contractors.

* A lot of first-time costs give the impression that expenses will be much higher there. It will balance with other markets over time.

* Union labor in Las Vegas is expensive and time restricting. Very expensive.

* Biggest downfall for Las Vegas is that it is highly expensive to show there. The advantage is that the market is all in one place. There's plenty of hotel rooms at prices comparable to High Point, but much nicer. Restaurant choices are numerous & plentiful. Transportation is abundant.

* Over $1000 drayage in Las Vegas ... $1,300 for 4 spotlights ... pipe and drape walls ... less than 24 hours to move out ... unions will keep that show from ever being dominant.

* Better communication from Champion and World Market is needed. It was very disorganized from an operational standpoint. The right hand was not communicating with the left.

* Labor in Las Vegas is very expensive and the teamsters were rude. Sales management were often too busy to help the exhibitors. The drayage costs were exorbitant!

* The next Las Vegas market will tell all. The first one was a novelty. If the January market is a hit, High Point: look out!!

* {High Point is} going downhill in a hurry. It is too spread out, too big of showrooms, parking issues, no entertainment, but the High Point people have always been very nice and I hate to leave High Point only for that reason but I have to. Las Vegas is the place to be and will overtake the market industry. Forget High Point, San Francisco and Tupelo. Two markets a year in Las Vegas and you’re done!