Total registrations well exceeded the historic 50,000 average, and included registrations from more than 100 countries – on par with January 2007's mega market which featured the opening of Building B.

The Winter 2008 Las Vegas Market, held Jan. 28 to Feb. 1, proved largely impervious to the sluggish economic conditions enveloping the broader home furnishings industry as an unprecedented number of leading U.S. buyers and international buyers flooded World Market Center and helped spur a five-day order-writing pace that vastly exceeded exhibitors' expectations.

The upbeat tone of the Market was struck early, with the announcement that industry veteran Bob Maricich had been named World Market Center's new President and Chief Executive Officer. Maricich, formerly with Hickory, N.C.-based Century Furniture Industries, is widely recognized as one of the home furnishings industry's most innovative leaders.

The Market's energy was further heightened by number of record-setting milestones in terms of buyer attendance. Show organizers delivered a global event that allowed exhibiting companies to capitalize on opportunities to grow profitably with new buyers – and the results spoke for themselves. Among the highlights:

-  Total registrations well exceeded the historic 50,000 average, and included registrations from more than 100 countries – on par with January 2007's mega market which featured the opening of Building B
-  23 percent more buyers than July ‘07 Market, and 6 percent more buyers than January ‘07 Market
-  83 percent of Top 100 U.S. retailers attended, which marks the largest influx of national buyers compared to the last five Las Vegas Markets
-  Non-U.S. attendance was up 20 percent over the last market, with nearly 60 percent more international buyers
-  Attendance from the eastern region of the United States was up 28 percent from last Market, which when combined with the international presence, confirms this is not just a national event, but indeed an international market
-  More than doubled the attendance of interior designers, dramatically increasing the base of high end buyers coming to Las Vegas Market
-  Thousands of new buyers attended Las Vegas Market for the first time this January, resulting in new buyers for all exhibiting companies

"These results serve as compelling testimony to the strength and long-term sustainability of Las Vegas as the center for future industry growth. They are even more remarkable in light of the difficult economic conditions in which both retailers and manufacturers are currently operating," said Maricich. "World Market Center will continue to invest unprecedented resources into progressive marketing programs that bring buyers to Las Vegas and expand channels of distribution for our participating companies, while delivering the best market value and experience our industry has to offer."

Expectations Exceeded for Winter Las Vegas Market
This January, Maricich wasn't the only big name making a Las Vegas debut. Lexington Home Brands had their first Market in Las Vegas and opened their showroom to incredible fanfare. Phil Haney, Chief Executive Officer of Lexington Home Brands, said: "This was our first Market in Las Vegas and the results were beyond our expectations. The traffic in our space was unbelievable and over half of the dealers we saw were new customers for us, people we had not previously reached. In addition, we saw dealers from all over the country. This is not a ‘West Coast regional market.' This is truly a national market and we are thrilled to be a part of it. We cannot wait for the next Market in July, as we move to our permanent space in Building C and launch Mar-a-Lago, the latest Trump Home collection, with Donald Trump in attendance."

Also celebrating their inaugural Las Vegas Market was Huntington Furniture. Chief Executive Officer Eric Easter said, "We saw many new customers and further cemented relationships with present accounts. We had retailers from across the country attend. We were very pleased with the results and look forward to Building C opening in July. The Las Vegas Market will be very important to Huntington Furniture for many years to come. We are extremely happy we made the decision to show in January."

Roland Maddrey, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Universal Furniture, said their company successfully introduced two new collections at Las Vegas Market and received strong commitments. "The major buyers were at Las Vegas Market where we saw more participation from the East Coast than we had anticipated. There was a strong response from the Top 100— the ‘who's who' was at Las Vegas Market."

Rob Woods, President of Leggett & Platt/Consumer Products Group agreed with the quality of buyers stating, "The makeup of January buyers was by far the strongest we have seen. It also amazed me that, in the face of a very challenging economy, buyers were so upbeat. They may have mentioned how difficult business was, but they didn't dwell on it, and were eager to discuss, and write orders on new offerings."

International exhibitors had a similar experience. Canadian-based furniture manufacturer Amisco Industries said, "We introduced two new product lines at this Market and we have seen a lot of buyers overall. We are happy with attendance. This Market has definitely been the best for us."

Nebraska Furniture Mart's General Merchandise Manager Steven Riley was one of the country's leading furniture retailers in attendance who noted the ease of attending Las Vegas Market. "It's easy to work in Las Vegas. We hit nearly every showroom on every floor," said Riley who brought a team of 11 to Market. "I saw a lot of new introductions in January's Las Vegas Market that are strong, including those spotted at Ashley and Standard." Riley added, "The hotel rooms are a better value in Las Vegas. It is a very viable market."

More Market Highlights; Green Topped the Charts
From new product to programming, entertainment to inspiration, cash giveaways to sheer cache – Las Vegas Market attendees were treated to one of the most dynamic events in its six-show history.

Heating up the Winter Market week, attendees checked out the first ever "Home Furnishings Runway" vignettes—highly stylized presentations on display in World Market Center's atriums which highlighted the complementary nature of furniture and fashion. Savvy retailer Neiman Marcus partnered with the Market for this special exhibition which demonstrated how the fashion runway influences today's interiors.

High fashion inspiration continued throughout the Market venues with top name speakers, seminars and show-stopping products. Attendees were in awe of the expanded and elevated Design & Living area, a juried show-in-show that was larger and more cutting-edge than ever before. Dramatic white carpet set off beautiful product presentations of more than 50 trend-setting exhibitors—an exclusive showcase set to expand for Summer Market.

The Living Green Pavilion was also especially noteworthy – a partnership between World Market Center, Design Green Alliance and the Sustainable Furniture Council – which tripled in size this Market thanks to the industry's embrace of sustainable products and practices. Further, Las Vegas Market week also saw introduction of a special presentation series highlighting education, trends and international influences in the sustainable home furnishings movement. The weeklong series, entitled "Brave New World: Environmental Leadership Series," allowed Market attendees to develop awareness of best practices covering all aspects of the industry.

Colorado retailer Ann Fetsch, who owns a Drexel Heritage home store, says "It's interesting to come to (Las Vegas) to see the green seminars and see the Living Green section of the exhibit. Those were advantageous for us. We are just in the beginning stages of learning about (green). The seminars sounded very appealing to get some education and to learn about it. One of the appeals of coming here is the location of the Market. There's more access to goods and services."

However, not all the "green" was found in the eco-friendly showrooms and booths at Winter Las Vegas Market. A cool half-million dollars was awarded at Las Vegas Market via the first-ever Fashion 500 Runway Rewards promotion, which identified 10 daily winners in random drawings to take home $5,000 in cash. On Wednesday, Jan. 30, the grand prize of $250,000 went to 38-year-old store owner Tim Koerner of Coeur D'Alene, Idaho-based Koerner Furniture.

Robin Leach, celebrity host to the rich and famous and Las Vegas resident, was on hand to host the festivities and to announce Koerner as the big contest winner.

Urged on by Leach, Koerner, who has a successful family furniture business, attempted to reach his wife by phone from the stage as the crowd cheered. Koerner has attended every Las Vegas Market since the July 2005 debut. "I feel very blessed and lucky," the winner said.

Looking Forward – Building C & D
Buyers and exhibitors alike had something else in common this Market: the belief that the opening of Building C in time for Summer 2008 Las Vegas Market will further set World Market Center apart from other venues of its kind and set the stage for the future. The addition of 2.1 million square feet of showrooms on 16 floors—and hundreds of new exhibiting companies joining World Market Center—will mark a turning point for the three-year-old complex.

"We are at Las Vegas Market for the long term. We see that World Market Center is the future of the industry," said new World Market Center tenant Sean Keane, of Conyers, Ga.-based India House. "When Building C opens, it will be a whole new ballgame."

With virtually every space in Building C spoken for through signed leases and commitments, World Market Center officials announced that the schedule for Building D remains on track. Construction on the 17-story, 1.1-million-square-foot building will begin later this year and be completed in 2010. When Building D opens, World Market Center will encompass more than 6 million square feet, making it the largest wholesale merchandise mart on a single campus.

Leasing for the fourth tower on the eight-building campus will allow significant growth opportunities for many sectors of the industry that World Market Center already caters to. Building D will expand the line up of furniture and decorative accessories companies, as well as will foster the introduction of two complementary and new industry segments to the burgeoning master-plan: gift and home textile companies.

Maricich says he is anxious to work with World Market Center developers, management team and staff on accelerating development for the 12 million square foot campus. Drawn to the vision of World Market Center's master-plan and the commitment of its Executive Committee and Managing Partners, Maricich believes that Las Vegas' unsurpassed trade show infrastructure and standing as America's most international city will soon firmly establish World Market Center as the industry's largest venue in addition to its most inspired.

"This is truly an unprecedented opportunity for me to contribute to the growth and evolution of the home furnishings industry on a global scale," Maricich said. "I am blown away by the commitment and resources the owners have dedicated to ensure World Market Center exceeds the needs of the industry."

The Summer 2008 Las Vegas Market is scheduled for July 28 through Aug. 1, 2008 at the World Market Center & Pavilions. Attendees can start booking discounted rooms now at www.LasVegasMarket.com.