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What markets must do to draw buyers

Carole Sloan, Senior Contributing Editor -- Furniture Today, January 29, 2006

It almost flew in the face of what's going on at home furnishings markets around the world. But Lifestyle Enterprise pulled it off, simultaneously helping scores of its competitors. It's amazing what the chance of winning not one but two luxury cars will do to help create a so-called mini-market, especially if plane and hotel expenses are paid as well.

As Lifestyle owner William Hsieh told me during our chat at Salon du Meuble in Paris earlier this month, a number of retailers went for a two-night stay just to have a shot at the second car.

What Lifestyle accomplished in High Point seems counter to the trend of dwindling market attendance worldwide.

It was clear at Decosit in Brussels, Belgium, last September that attendance was down a bit. Again at the home textiles market in New York and the furniture market in High Point, both in October, and at Showtime in High Point in December, there were obviously fewer buyers walking the halls and shopping the showrooms. And this month's Heimtextil in Frankfurt, Germany, continued the trend.

One thing is certain: The economy, the spiraling costs of attending markets and the proliferation of markets worldwide have eliminated the tire-kickers and streamlined the sizes of the retail contingents shopping each venue. Over the past several years, the size of company buying groups has dropped significantly, reflecting the new economics of retailing.

In last week's Furniture/Today, both City Furniture and Rooms To Go acknowledged they would skip this week's Las Vegas event, with City's Keith Koenig citing today's reality as the reason — not enough time to shop all the markets.

All market organizers now face the challenge of making their event truly significant in terms of product, efficient in terms of shopping, and thus most economical overall.

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Modest market attendance doesn't equate to poor sales

Sep 3, 2011

Market attendance: Always a fuzzy picture

Jun 22, 2009

Vegas market attendance rises 6% over a year ago

Feb 20, 2008

Vegas attendance better than expected

Aug 4, 2008

Lifestyle plans H.P. expansion, sets dates for January show

May 21, 2006

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