ATLANTA — During this week’s Casual Market Atlanta, Casual News Now sat down with Andmore President and Chief Operating Officer Greg Avitabile to talk business, growth and why the outdoor industry is such an important facet of its overall market strategy.
CNN: Where does Casual Market Atlanta stand today?
GA: It has really grown year over year. I think we’re somewhere in the neighborhood of 450,000-500,000 square feet of collective casual exhibits and products. We’re also leveraging what we do with our temporaries to incubate discovery and hopefully move some of those brands into permanent showrooms.
CNN: How are you working to attract more interior designers to Casual Market?
GA: We’ve seen a spike in both furniture stores and interior designers, which is the core audience we’re after. Some of our marketing efforts and programs are designed to reel that group in. The new Market Stars program has several featured folks going around market, noting trends and using their influence on social media to bring awareness. That’s been a huge part of what we’re trying to do, because it’s not just us telling the story — it’s the industry telling the story.
CNN: What are you doing to make the market better for buyers?
GA: We have amenities such as the Oasis Meeting Space and buyer concierge service, and then programming that offers trend information and networking. We also have our new buyer program, which has gone really well. When you come to market the first time, it can be overwhelming, so the new buyer program offers tips on how to shop market.
CNN: How are Andmore and AmericasMart working to blend Casual Market and Atlanta Market to create a more beneficial event for everyone?
GA: That was really the value proposition when we brought casual in. More and more retail stores and designers are cross-merchandising. Our marketing strategies have been really targeted at cross-promotion — we have a lot of gift tenants that will be open this week, and obviously the home tenants because they want the opportunity to capture that casual buyer. We’re trying to bring more awareness of the additional products that we have here, not just in the casual showrooms, but also in the gift and home showrooms.
CNN: What do you see going forward for Casual Market Atlanta?
GA: We want this to be the casual furniture destination for the nation and the world — that’s the growth strategy. We have a good partnership with the ICFA, and there’s a lot of strategic work and planning for the future. It’s gratifying when you bring in an industry and you’re able to see it grow. But obviously, there are things we can still do — we’re not declaring victory. But when you’re able to grow the show year over year and you’ve got a good partner that thinks strategically, it really helps.
