Las Vegas Market Says Attendance Was Up 7%

Las Vegas, NV, Aug. 25, 2008–World Market Center officials said total attendance at the recent furniture market was 7 percent above the July 2007 market.
 
Last month’s market, which featured the grand opening of the WMC’s third showroom building, saw a double-digit increase in retail buyers as well as dramatic increase in the number of designers in attendance.

“Considering the very difficult environment in the home furnishings industry, this is a remarkable uptick,” said Bob Maricich, president and CEO of the market center.

He said retail buyer attendance was 15 percent ahead of July 2007, while there was a 93 percent jump in designers attending the market.

The WMC didn’t release specific attendance figures, but said total registrations “exceeded the historic average of 50,000.”