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Vegas: The social whirlwind

By David Perry -- Furniture Today, February 18, 2007

Las Vegas — When the sun went down at the recent market here, the bedding party scene heated up. We're talking beautiful people, beautiful showrooms, games of chance, the beverage of your choice, great food, etc. And how about that fountain of chocolate, courtesy of Therapedic, at the Bellagio.

Your faithful bedding correspondent (that's me) was on the scene to capture all the excitement.

You already know that almost every major bedding producer had a permanent showroom at the winter Las Vegas Market. The World Market Center opened its impressive 16-story Building B, featuring the showrooms of almost half the Top 15 bedding producers. And you also know that new bedding lines were the order of the day everywhere.

The pictures on this page take you into the Vegas bedding party and social scene. Here's what the Furniture/Today camera captured during a busy week:

Simmons hosted cocktail hours for its dealers at both its WMC showrooms in Building A. We started out in the 5th floor space but hopped the escalator to catch Joe Casey of Cardi's Furniture visiting the 9th floor showroom.
It was Spa Serta in that producer's Building A space, with an oxygen bar to refresh retailers and a team of massage therapists. I coaxed Serta President Bob Sherman into the massage chair, surrounded by the team. A massage would have been nice, but I had miles of showrooms to visit before I slept.
Tempur-Pedic had a clever poker promotion where dealers vied for a free BellaSonna bed, and retailers packed into the company's energy-charged showroom. Rick Anderson, president of Tempur-Pedic North America, was the master of ceremonies.
Spring Air debuted its Grid2-designed space, which evokes the comfort of the lobby of a luxury hotel. I saw Grid2 principal Martin Roberts at the big Sunday night bash, along with many Spring Air friends.
Comfort Solutions unveiled a floral paradise to highlight its new Laura Ashley Home line. It was great to see all that color in the ticking. Congratulations to President Dave Roberts for taking that bold step.
Restonic's new Connie Post-designed showroom made a splash. So did the "astronaut" who helped Restonic tout the Outlast temperature-regulating technology in some of its new beds. I guess bedding and rocket science do have something in common.
One of the best bedding parties was the Kathy Ireland event hosted by Therapedic in the swanky Bellagio hotel. The food was wonderful, Kathy was her usual charming self, and the turnout was heavy. Kudos to Therapedic President Gerry Borreggine and his team for that great event.

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