Market at Sands canceled ... for now
Heath E. Combs -- Furniture Today, January 29, 2007
Las Vegas — The Las Vegas Furniture Show at the Sands Expo Center here has been canceled this month but may be held in July, according to Stephan Phelps, president of show organizer Triad Expositions.
With fewer large manufacturers to help draw crowds, Phelps said having the show this month would have been unfair to smaller companies.
"We're certainly not out of business. We're out of pocket for January," he said.
Instead of doing a strictly furniture-based trade show, Phelps said he hopes to create more of a convention or conference event, getting associations involved and including seminars, while still showing some exhibits.
About 100 exhibitors showed at the first market in July 2005 at the temporary exhibit venue. The show ran concurrently with the World Market Center's furniture market.
By the third edition of the Las Vegas Furniture Show in July 2006, which began the day before the WMC's Monday opening, the total had dropped to about 30 exhibitors.
The largest exhibitor at the July Sands show, Emerald Home Furnishings, has moved to the World Market Center's new Building B for the Jan. 29–Feb. 2 market. Another large Sands exhibitor, Catnapper/Jackson, will be in Building A.
