INTERNATIONAL CASUAL FURNITURE & ACCESSORIES MARKET EXPANDS CASUAL INDOOR AND OUTDOOR PRODUCT LINES FOR SEPT. 14-17 SHOW
First Official Pre-Market Success Builds Anticipation for the 2005 International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market at The Merchandise Mart
CHICAGO (August 4, 2005) – Building on momentum from the first official Pre-Market, Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI) is pleased to welcome the 2005 International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market™ taking place Sept. 14-17, 2005, at The Merchandise Mart, Chicago. This exquisite Market dedicated to indoor/outdoor casual furnishings and accessories – the only show of it’s kind in the country – has expanded this year to include more furniture, home and outdoor accessory lines in categories, such as garden, grills and decorative accessories.
“We hope the Pre-Market success is indicative of what’s to come in September. We’ve received a tremendous amount of feedback and plan to capture that excitement as we head into the September Market,” said John H. Brennen III, executive vice president, MMPI. “Nowhere else but in Chicago can casual furniture retailers find so much product under one roof. We continue to grow and evolve this show year after year because we see the demand.”
The show is expected to attract more than 5,000 retailers from the specialty furniture, home furnishings, pool & spa, hearth & fireplace and gift & decorative accessories industries, as well as an important mix of cataloguers, hardware stores and mass merchandisers.
The Market boasts approximately 300,000 square feet of overall exhibit space, with more than 183,000 square feet on floors 16 and 17 and more than 120,000 square feet of Market Suites exhibit space. Approximately 300 exhibiting manufacturers in the casual furniture and casual accessories industries will be in attendance, including more than 30 permanent showrooms on the 16th and 17th floors and 300 temporary exhibits located on the 7th- and 8th-floor Market Suites.
Highlights of the 2005 International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market include:
• NEW: The first ever Merchandising Excellence Award competition, honoring the best in showroom/booth visual merchandising, is presented by the Casual Furniture Retailers Association (CFR), Hearth & Home magazine and MMPI. The prestigious Design Excellence
Awards and Apollo Awards will also be announced.
• PRODUCT: Attendees will find everything from grills and umbrellas to cast metal furniture and outdoor lighting on the newly renovated 7th- and 8th-floor Market Suites, featuring a combined 120,000 square feet of casual furniture and accessories.
• SEMINARS: Leading experts in the casual furniture industry will present a series of complimentary, informative seminars during the Market. Focusing on a variety of topics from how consumers view their outdoor living spaces to tips on how to incorporate outdoor designs into business, these seminars will give retailers an edge and provide up-to-date industry information.
• EVENTS: Show attendees will have access to a variety of social and networking events including the Design Excellence Awards Breakfast, the 46th Annual Apollo Awards, the Casual Furniture Retailers Association Membership Breakfast and the Annual Market Party.
• CHICAGO GIFT & HOME MARKET™: Even more product offerings will be available as The Chicago Gift & Home Market™ will run concurrently with the Casual Market. The amazing selection of products available from leading gift and home décor manufacturers represented on floors 12,13,14 and 15 expands buying options for retailers who want to cross-merchandise their stores or round out their selection of home and garden accessories.
BUILDING ON SUCCESS
This year marked the first Official SCFMA Pre-Market, held at The Merchandise Mart July 13-15. The Official Pre-Market was conceived to reduce manufacturers’ costs by having the Pre-Market under one roof instead of several pre-markets across the country.
Buyers and exhibitors alike lauded the Pre-Market as a major success and a hopeful precursor to the September Market. Casual showrooms on the 16th and 17th floors participated as well as more than 20 temporary exhibitors. Over 800 retailers were in attendance to get important business done early.
“We would like to extend our appreciation to all of the staff at The Merchandise Mart for providing us with a superb and successful Pre-Market experience. The event was entirely seamless, and, most importantly, provided the targeted audience we anticipated,” said David G. Lenahan, AIA, principal, D’Firo Design, Inc. “The pace of the Pre-market was an unexpected and enhancing bonus, and it facilitated the opportunity for meaningful communication. We found the staff attentive, professional and ready to assist. We will definitely return, and, without hesitation, we highly recommend the Pre-Market.”
TRAVEL AND REGISTRATION
Buyers and exhibitors can find travel information at www.merchandisemart.com (click on International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market then click on Travel) or by calling Mart Travel Services at 800.528-8700 (dial 312.527.7300 when calling from outside the United States).
Buyers and exhibitors also can register for the Market at www.merchandisemart.com (click on International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market then click on Registration). An online form requests the appropriate information from registrants, then generates a 2-D bar code to print and bring to the Market. The printed bar code is scanned on site, and a badge will print immediately.
For more information about the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market, visit www.merchandisemart.com or call 800.677-6278 (MART).
The International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market is a trademark of MMPI. Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. (MMPI) is a trade show, leasing and property management firm, specializing in managing buildings devoted to wholesale showrooms and commercial office space. MMPI produces more than 300 trade shows, market events and conferences each year.
MMPI manages The Merchandise Mart, 350 W. Mart Center and 33 North Dearborn in Chicago; Market Square, the Suites at Market Square, Hamilton Market, Plaza Suites, Furniture Plaza and the National Furniture Mart in High Point, N.C.; the Architects & Designers Building and 7 W New York in New York; the L.A. Mart in Los Angeles; and the Washington Design Center and Washington Office Center in Washington D.C.
Vornado Realty Trust, owner of MMPI, based in New York City, is a fully integrated equity real estate investment trust. Vornado’s common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and are traded under the symbol VNO.
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MEDIA INQUIRIES ONLY:
Natalie Campbell
Public Relations Associate
Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc.
Phone: 312.527.7790
E-mail: ncampbell@mmart.com
Jackie Paulsen
Director of Public Relations
Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc.
Phone: 312.527.5777
E-mail: jpaulsen@mmart.com