Market attendance falls slightly
by admin on Oct.21, 2007, under Trade & Market
The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area
Attendance at the High Point Market that concluded earlier this month was off slightly from last fall’s market, according to figures released today by the High Point Market Authority.
A total of 83,974 furniture industry professionals received attendance credentials through the market’s central registration system. Last fall, 84,976 badges were issued.
About 47,400 passes or 57 percent went to furniture buyers. Exhibitors received about 29,000 passes. Other passes went to suppliers, market workers and guests.
Market Authority President Brian Casey noted that there was an increase in the number of first-time visitors to the market, and a significant number of attendees who had skipped the High Point Market for two years or more.
“This tells us two things,” Casey said. “First, our outreach and re-branding efforts are working. Second, retailers and designers who were no longer attending Market are responding positively to the many changes and improvements we have been implementing.”
Many of those changes and improvements have been in response to the challenge to High Point’s furniture market dominance by the newer Las Vegas Market. That market does not release attendance figures.