Mendenhall: Survey points out High Point's strengths, challenges
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, October 3, 2005
High Point — Judy Mendenhall, president of the High Point International Home Furnishings Market Authority, said the Furniture/Today survey pointed out High Point's strengths as well as its challenges.
She offered a response to the survey in a written, question-and-answer format.
The Market Authority is a group of business, civic and industry leaders formed in 2001 to ensure the High Point market is a productive and satisfying experience for all who attend, and to secure the event's long-term viability.
What was your impression of the survey results? Were you surprised?
We were very interested in your survey findings. Although it emphasized areas we continue to work on, the survey also confirmed for us the strengths of the High Point market, including the depth and breadth of available new product compared to other markets.
The fact is, buyers are very aware that if they are serious about the home furnishings industry from a retail standpoint, the High Point market is the critical working show — and that will never change. Those who attend High Point are the people who drive the industry. If you can't find it here, it doesn't exist. Attendees know they will see the exhibitors here with brands they are familiar with selling products their customers want. And I think your survey underscored these points when it asked about showroom space in Las Vegas, and the amount of people and product that attendees were able to see there: Both categories ranked very low among respondents.
Is the comparison between Las Vegas and High Point markets fair?
Healthy competition always raises the bar in our industry, and the High Point Market Authority welcomes that challenge to improve our market. I've talked with some of our board members and we all agree there are several competing markets out there — all over the world — that we should be looking at and learning from.
We compete with every single home furnishings show out there, but there are really only two other international shows that come close to High Point in terms of product exhibitors, product availability and amount of showroom — and those are the shows in Cologne and Shanghai. We have 2,500 exhibitors from around the world, close to 12 million square feet of exhibition space in 180 buildings and more than 100 countries represented. We have more new product rollouts than any other show today. We average between 60,000 and 70,000 attendees per market. Any comparison that isn't on that scale just doesn't make a lot of sense.
What changes will the High Point market make in light of the survey results?
The authority's mission is to make High Point the very best market in the industry, and we make changes based on attendee feedback after every single market — and we will continue to do so.
Remember, the High Point Market Authority has been in existence for just four years now and has made tremendous strides; the High Point market itself has 97 years of history behind it. We are only just beginning our work to enhance the market's reputation as one of the biggest and best in the world. We have already put in place several logistical changes that will strengthen the High Point market experience for the buyers, exhibitors and other attendees.
One of the more interesting findings in your survey was about the availability of transportation in Las Vegas — or lack thereof. We know how important it is for our attendees to be able to get around efficiently and cost effectively. Let's face it, the work buyers do during our show will set the tone for the success of their business for the next 12 months. Our attendees have to be able to count on transportation and shuttle services that will get them where they need to be. They have appointments to keep and need to move around quickly to get a lot done in a very short period of time.
All 110 hotels in our show region are served by our shuttle service, every hour of the day, at no cost. We can park 3,500 cars free from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day of the show. Shuttles are in place throughout downtown and run every six to eight minutes, serving the central showrooms; On Demand shuttles will take attendees to showrooms not located downtown. There is free shuttle service to and from three airports, including Charlotte, Raleigh and into High Point. My point is that the transportation system at the High Point market allows people to move around hassle-free, efficiently and at no cost. From what we have heard, this was not the experience many attendees had in Las Vegas.
The low cost of accommodations in Las Vegas seemed to rank high among attendees. How will you be addressing that issue?
We have been, and will continue to, work diligently to address the issues we've had with accommodations. We have 110 hotels within proximity and we continue to work with them on pricing and availability in anticipation of the October market.
When you look at costs, however, you have to really consider the total cost to show at any market. Your survey shows that 43% of manufacturers said it cost more for them to show in Las Vegas than in High Point. One in three said it was more difficult to set up in Las Vegas than in High Point. They were experiencing the effect of union labor in the convention halls. We heard reports from manufacturers whose expenses were well beyond what they had expected to spend. Those increased show expenses certainly offset a $50 savings per night on a hotel room.
Any final words about the survey?
Feedback from market attendees is vitally important about how we do business. We intend to fully address each of the concerns raised in your survey, and will continue to find creative solutions to existing problems.
We already have 2,200 more buying units registered for the October show than we had last year, and they will already begin to see the changes we have made. Our attendees understand and appreciate the long tradition in High Point: It is the hub of the home furnishings industry, and we have been doing the market now for nearly 100 years. We have built a deep infrastructure to support the industry, with everything from photographers to fabric suppliers to shippers and packers. It's all here.
The bottom line is High Point will continue to grow, thrive, change and improve under the Market Authority; that is our mission, and we intend to create the very best environment for our industry to do business. We're proud to say that what happens in High Point doesn't stay in High Point — it goes all around the world.
