Las Vegas Market’s “Gamble” on Home & Gift Expansion Pays Off

Besides a play on words (gamble = Las Vegas), expanding heavily into Gift + Home market-within-market idea was no easy bet. For one thing, there are already several very strong gift shows in the country that have summer editions (Dallas in June, Atlanta in July, and New York in August) that draw huge crowds of designers, boutique owners, and all sorts of fashion-forward retailers.

So the question of whether presenting 1.1 million square feet of new and expanded showrooms, categories, and products comprised of furniture, home décor, tabletop items, and plenty of gift selections would be successful in drawing door-busting crowds is a viable one.

Judging by observations of the first day at Las Vegas Market’s summer edition, the answer appears to be “Yes!” Official statistics will not be available until after the show concludes at the end of the week, but it would appear that numbers are up and the caliber of the buyers and designers remains strong.

The fleshing out of the Gift + Home category is certainly impressive in its magnitude – not only in the sheer amount of square footage, but also in the upscale appearance of the execution and presentation.

There is no doubt that the Las Vegas Market draws heavily from the West Coast. Many of the attendees I spoke to on opening day told me they do not travel to the Atlanta or New York shows because of the greater amount of travel, time, and expense they would incur. For them, the Las Vegas Market is more convenient. So far, I have not spoken with any buyers that attend both Dallas and Las Vegas.

Stay tuned for more reports from me this week.