You tell me about market
Ray Allegrezza, Editor in chief -- Furniture Today, April 8, 2007
I've said this before and will say it again: We're not a one-size-fits-all industry. In fact, we're probably one of the least homogenous industries I know.
Probably nothing better reflects that than the High Point Market. If you were able to physically examine every item on display from the market's 2,600 exhibitors, you would immediately understand the incredible diversity that gets lumped together under the home furnishing banner.
Some exhibitors are huge public entities. Others represent the smallest of family businesses.
The same holds true for the buyers that shop this and other furniture markets. Top 100 buyers walk the same halls as those on our Beyond the Top 100 list, and right along with them are big-box buyers and small-store owners.
To make things even more interesting, no two buying strategies are the same. The big boys carry big pencils, but often don't write orders at shows. The independents, meanwhile, have smaller pencils but tend to actually use them if they see something they like.
You get the picture. One size won't and shouldn't fit everyone. So, why are we so hell bent on determining a single thumbs up (or down) for an entire market?
Traffic, on the other hand, is easier to determine. As an exhibitor, you should have the best idea of how this market was for your company.
But even so, we feel compelled to make blanket statements about traffic, which may have been terrible at one showroom and brisk somewhere else.
This degree of disparity reminds me of the time I actually saw it rain on one side of the street while the sun was shining on the other. I can't explain it, but it happens. Markets, especially big ones like High Point, are like that street. I'm not smart enough to explain why some exhibitors hit home runs while others simply take one for the team.
So, please don't ask me if market was good or not. I'm not that smart. Besides, I'd rather you tell me how market was for you. Drop me a note at rallegrezza@reedbusiness.com
