LAS VEGAS – Increased vaccination rollout, improving travel sentiments and the return of Las Vegas Market’s gift and home temporaries – staged in the new Expo at World Market Center Las Vegas – contributed to a busier April 2021 market.
“There’s such a demand for product, and if they can get it right now, they want it,” said International Market Centers (IMC) CEO Bob Maricich during a call with the press. “When there’s demand, good things are going to happen, and that’s driving that sense of optimism as well.”
Recovery was evident with attendance increasing 346% over summer 2020 market. Las Vegas Market attendance was predominantly regional – with 69% from the Western United States – along with out-of-region representation with 12% from the Midwest and 9% from the Southwest. Altogether, attendees came from 30 countries and from all 50 U.S. states, with California, Nevada and Arizona as the top three states of origin. Additionally, April market reflected a notable uptick in buyers across the primary categories – gift (+354%), home décor (+337%) and furniture (+327%) – as well as designers (+332%).
“People are not here kicking tires,” said Maricich. “The people who are here are very serious about commerce, and they’re working efficiently and getting a lot done.”
Many retailers placed larger orders to meet increased consumer demand and to get ahead of continued supply chain disruptions. Overall, the sentiment was resounding that seeing product in person is critical for business and buyers are happy to be back at market.
“We had a really strong market and were impressed with how buttoned-up, safe and vibrant it felt,” said Rick Haase, co-owner of Patina Stores in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. “There were more attendees and vendors than we expected, and we were particularly impressed with the temporary exhibits. In addition to quality time with existing vendors, we found 20 new lines which is a lot for us at one market. As buyers, we really crave the in-person experience and the personal interaction with product and this market exceeded our expectations.”
April marked both the return of temporary exhibits after a one-market, pandemic-related hiatus, as well as the grand opening of the Expo at World Market Center Las Vegas, their new location at Las Vegas Market.
With more than 200 new and established gift and home décor resources in six updated destinations – Gift, Design, Handmade, Home, Immediate Delivery and Luxe – the Expo at WMCLV generated buzz around campus from buyers and suppliers alike.
“We’ve absolutely loved being in the brand-new Expo,” said Caden Landry, account manager for long-time exhibitor albert L. (punkt). “Truthfully, with the pandemic, we were not sure what to expect from the show, but our expectations have been blown away. Las Vegas Market has always been a big source of new buyers for us, so we’re very excited that the market is back up and running.”
The 315,000-square-foot Expo at WMCLV features an easy-to-walk layout that is contiguous with Building C. Operating as the gateway to the campus, the new facility allows for a continuous flow of traffic between the market’s temporary exhibits and permanent showrooms and transforms the arrival experience for buyers.
Showroom participation continued its return to pre-pandemic levels with 85% of the furniture, home décor and gift tenants open for market. Tenants across the categories reported serious buying, robust sales and solid traffic, and expressed optimism about recovery and business in 2021.
“Our eyes are on the prize and we are very optimistic about the balance of the year as are our retailers,” said Garry Sherman, senior vice president of sales for Creative Co-Op. “We are confident that over the next several months things will only get better and we are excited about that.”
Many tenants said their experience was as safe as it was productive, mentioning IMC’s Together Safely protocols which include the required use of PPE, temporal checks, capacity limits and social distancing measures.
April Market signaled the return of market experiences with the debut of three onsite Market Snapshot vignettes featuring products from finalists, Juniper’s “Preview Pods” and Las Vegas-inspired Instagrammable moments encouraging buyers to share their market experiences.
IMC’s new JuniperMarket “Preview Pods” provided a visual overview of the B2B e-commerce marketplace that launches in 2021. The onsite activations allowed prospective users to preview the new purchasing platform, understand its connectivity to IMC’s physical markets and register for daily iPad giveaways. To date, more than 11,000 buyers already have pre-registered for JuniperMarket in anticipation of the launch later this year.
“April Market was a big step in the right direction for our industry,” Maricich continued. “The entire ecosystem has shifted and as recovery continues, IMC will keep its finger on the pulse to continue to adapt to meet the industry’s needs.”
