Posts Tagged ‘rugs and flooring nc’

PRE-MARKET SPONSORS EXPAND ON SUCCESSFUL

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

High Point, North Carolina, As they work to expand on an already successful model, the sponsoring manufacturers of Pre-Market met here last week to set both their agenda for the coming year and the dates of the 2010 Pre-Market events: March 15-16, 2010 and September 13-14, 2010.

Guided by a group of leading furniture manufacturers, with the support of major multi-tenant buildings and the High Point Market Authority, Pre-Market has steadily gained traction throughout the past two years as an invaluable event that enables leading retailers to preview major product collections, secure distribution and strengthen relationships with key vendors and company principles.

 “In times like these, everybody has to work smarter and more efficiently, and Pre-Market affords manufacturers and retailers quality time to really connect. It’s a relaxed environment that encourages interaction between top-level executives that is quite unlike the frenetic, time-pressed interchanges of Market,” says Kevin O’Connor, chief executive of Samson Marketing, parent company of Legacy Classic and Universal Furniture. “Again and again, the retailers tell us that participating translates into a true competitive advantage.”

 “The emphasis on the ability to review ‘Market-ready’ product in advance of Market one month later is one of the critical elements making the Pre-Markets events so successful,” says Brian D. Casey, president and chief executive officer of the High Point Market Authority, and spokesperson for the Pre-Market manufacturers. “The breadth and depth of new product available here has always been a strength of the High Point Market, and the Pre-Market sponsors have demonstrated a major commitment to that end, which is why High Point performs so well in meeting the needs of the industry. And, the commitment is there for the long run.”  

2010 Pre-Market sponsors include American Drew/Lea Industries; A.R.T. Furniture, Inc.; Aspenhome; Bernhardt Furniture; Broyhill Furniture; Casana Furniture; England, Inc.; Hammary Furniture; Hekman; Homelegance, Inc.; Hooker Furniture; Kincaid Furniture; Leather Trend; Legacy Classic; Magnussen Furniture; Natuzzi; Palliser; Pulaski Furniture; Riverside Furniture; Samuel Lawrence Furniture; Schnadig International; Stanley Furniture; Universal Furniture; Vaughan-Bassett Furniture; 220 Elm; International Home Furnishings Center (IHFC); and Merchandise Mart Properties (MMPI).

Source: www.highpointmarket.org

www.HowardsFurnitureandDecoratratingCenter.com

Children’s charity seeks furniture industry support

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Program would help Victory Junction Gang Camp

Pattie Petty leads a tour of the Victory Junction Gang Camp for Tom Mitchell, International Home Furnishings Center; Ray Wagner, Furniture Junction; and Ray Steele, Ultimate Accents. 

The Victory Junction Gang Camp, open to chronically or seriously ill children, has everything a kid could want for a getaway.

For many who come here during one of the camp’s summer sessions, it will be the first or only time they can appear on stage, go swimming or ride a horse.

But the nonprofit facility could use more financial backing, according to its supporters. There’s an average cost of $2,500 to attend, even though all kids who come to Victory Junction do so for free.

Ray Steele, vice president of sales for Ultimate Accents, is starting to organize a program that would accept samples of furniture shown at the nearby High Point Market for a regular charity auction to raise money for the camp. The program could be in place by March, he said.

Companies would get the benefit of making a donation without having to lay out cash, he added.

“It’s a win-win for everyone involved, but it’s the biggest win for the kids,” Steele said.

Ideas that have also been considered to spread the word about the Victory Junction Gang Camp are tours of the facilities during market or a dinner for market exhibitors at the camp.

Located 20 minutes from High Point, the camp has a life-size maze that gets changed every night, a bowling alley, a movie theater and stage, a ranch and a swimming pool adventure course. It has 57 buildings on a 90-acre campus, including a dining area capable of feeding 390 people.

Summer sessions can serve up to 129 campers per session. On family weekends, as many as 32 families attend.

Victory Junction has become a centerpiece for donations from NASCAR’s elite. Many facilities at the camp are named for racers or owners such as Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Rick Hendrick. It also has received corporate donations from companies such as Harris-Teeter, Bass Pro Shops and GlaxoSmthKline’s Goody’s Powder.

Auto racer Kyle Petty and his wife, Pattie, partnered with actor Paul Newman to launch the camp in honor of the Pettys’ son, Adam, who died in 2000 during practice for a NASCAR race.

Pattie Petty said the camp is for ill children who are at a point that they could use a week off.

Children who attend the camp are selected through 28 partnering hospitals and through Shriners Hospitals for Children, she said. Victory Junction recruiters determine whether children are well enough to attend, and the camp takes care of their medical needs during their stays.

To make sure the kids all feel equal, every camper gets the same gear needed for the camp, contained in a trunk-sized “toolbox” by each bed.

In addition, workers and volunteers at the camp are trained to know children’s needs based on their medical conditions. For example, kids with sickle cell anemia must maintain their bodies at a constant temperature, so the staff will regulate the swimming pool temperature accordingly.

Source: www.furnituretoday.com

www.HowardsFurnitureandDecoratratingCenter.com

High Point premarket set for Sept. 13-14

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Spring edition runs March 15-16

HIGH POINT — Sponsors of High Point’s premarket have set the fall event’s dates for Sept. 13-14. As previously announced, the spring edition will run March 15-16.

Held about a month before each High Point Market, premarket aims to give retailers a chance to preview major product collections, secure distribution, and strengthen relationships with key vendors and company principals, according to market officials.

Twenty-four High Point Market exhibitors and three of the city’s showroom building operators are sponsors of premarket this year. They met last week to set the dates and the premarket agenda.

As it did this fall, the September 2010 premarket will coincide with the opening two days of the Las Vegas Market, which is set for Sept. 13-16. The March premarket will occur about six weeks after the winter Vegas market, which runs Feb. 1-5.

Kevin O’Connor, CEO of Samson Marketing, parent company of premarket sponsors Legacy Classic and Universal Furniture, said the High Point event “affords manufacturers and retailers quality time to really connect. It’s a relaxed environment that encourages interaction between top-level executives that is quite unlike the frenetic, time-pressed interchanges of market.”

Brian Casey, CEO of the High Point Market Authority, added: “The emphasis on the ability to review ‘market-ready’ product in advance of market one month later is one of the critical elements making the premarket events so successful.”

Source: www.furnituretoday.com

www.HowardsFurnitureandDecoratingCenter.com