After buyers and exhibitors were expressing panic at the thought of how to attend/exhibit at both the International Lighting Market in Dallas and the Las Vegas Market next January, when both events were scheduled to run at the same time, the management at Las Vegas Market has changed the date for its Winter 2016 edition.
The new Las Vegas Market date will run Sunday, January 24 to Thursday, January 28, 2016. Previously scheduled for January 17-21 to align for a second consecutive year with Design & Construction Week™, the shift to the last week of January allows for more space between other markets to accommodate buyers, manufacturers, and designers across the U.S. and internationally.
“Although the coordination in timing with Design & Construction Week ™ for Winter 2015 brought increased attendance from the interior design community, we feel we must mitigate the overlap among January markets as much as possible by adjusting our dates to better serve the needs of our customers, who are our primary focus,” explains Bob Maricich, CEO of International Market Centers. “After we announced our January 2016 dates last year, other markets in our industry shifted their dates, creating a conflict with our date pattern, which this change is designed to circumvent.”
Las Vegas Market previously held its Winter Market during the last week in January until it shifted to an earlier date pattern for the 2015 show to align with Design & Construction Week™ in order to coordinate with five of the leading design and construction industry trade shows being held in Las Vegas. The co-location provided interior designers and buyers the opportunity to shop all five shows, but increased hotel rates and travel costs due to high occupancy across the city were restrictive for some Las Vegas Market exhibitors and attendees, potentially suppressing further attendance growth.
By the numbers, Winter Market 2015 registered the highest attendance numbers in the Market’s nearly 10-year history, with overall growth of 11 percent over Winter 2014, and a 21 percent jump in attendance in the gift and home décor segment. The furniture base also registered attendance growth of more than 3.5 percent.
Plans for Summer 2015 Market, running August 2-6, include a casual furniture launch, with two floors devoted exclusively to the category; the launch of C11 for housewares, gourmet and tabletop, and the relocation and re-launch of gift and home décor temporary exhibits in the Pavilions
