Attendance at the recently concluded Las Vegas Market set a new record, rising 8 percent overall and 28 percent for buyers of gift products, according to International Market Centers, the market operator.

Buyers from all 50 states attended summer market, with the largest numbers of attendees coming from California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas and Utah. International participation continued to be strong, with 73 countries represented; the largest number of attendees from outside of the United States came from Canada, Mexico, China, Japan and Panama. The market also showcased the largest number of exhibitors in its 10-year history, with total exhibitors numbering more than 3,100, including a record 500 temporary exhibitors.

The attendance increases were the result of “the swift and sizeable expansion of both permanent and temporary exhibitors,” said a statement from IMC, which did not provide the number of attendees. Among the summer market’s more than 5 million square feet of product displays was 118,500 square feet of new and expanded showroom space among 66 new and expanding exhibitors. All of the market’s core categories experienced expansions in space, with new and expanding showrooms adding 70,000 square feet of furniture resources, 21,500 square feet of home décor resources and 27,000 square feet of gift resources, along with record-breaking numbers of casual and outdoor resources.

“Summer Las Vegas Market was epic,” said Bob Maricich, IMC’s CEO. “Punctuated by unprecedented attendance, order writing and new resources, we are continuing to deliver on our promise to create the leading furniture, home décor and gift destination in the western United States.”

(Source: hfndigital.com  Author: David Gill)