Lifestyle planning second Las Vegas Forbidden City show

Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, December 6, 2012

HIGH POINT — Fueled by the success of its first Las Vegas Forbidden City Furniture Show this past January, Lifestyle Enterprise is prepping for its second - same timeframe, same venue, but with the expectation of nearly double the attendance as it reenters the youth bedroom category.

The case goods and upholstery resource specializing in container business again will take 13,000 square feet in the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas for a show running Jan. 25-27, the weekend before the Las Vegas Market's official opening.

In January 2012, Lifestyle was expecting 400 to 500 retailers and ended up seeing about 500.

"This time I wouldn't be surprised if we double that," said James Riddle, CEO of Lifestyle Enterprise USA.

Riddle noted the show is by invitation only, and said all of its sales representatives have requested more retailer invites than they did a year ago - to the point that he expects some 1,000 invitations will go out.

As it has at past Forbidden City shows, Lifestyle is flying in its retail customer and will have surprises in store for them, including another lavish gift that he wouldn't disclose. At the previous Las Vegas show, the company handed out iPad2s.

After an absence of about five years in the youth bedroom, Lifestyle will make a splash as it reenters the category with an expected initial rollout of eight groups in Las Vegas, Riddle said, adding that the company wants to reestablish itself in a business that continues to grow.

Ask about the pricing, he said, "We'll have the best prices that the retailers have seen in a long while."

"If anybody is crazy enough to have their own show, it better be right," he said. "I don't think anyone will be disappointed."

Lifestyle also will show five or six new master bedrooms, a half dozen dining room suites and 10 to 12 fabric and leather upholstery groups from its Shanghai division. This is in addition to several in-line best sellers from each category that will be on display, too.

Riddle said Lifestyle was fueled to produce its second Las Vegas show by the outstanding results of the first event. That January show, he said, was bigger for Lifestyle than High Point's April and October shows this year.

Unlike this past January, when Lifestyle closed the exhibit midway through the final day because it had to vacate the space, the upcoming show will run through the final day on Sunday.

In addition to surprises and Lifestyle's standard extreme value pricing, the company will provide retailers meals through the day, including wine and cheese parties in the afternoon and dinners in the showroom.

"We expect to have a big turnout and a tremendous show," Riddle said.