World Market Centersm Expands Leasing Staff To Accommodate Demand For Permanent And Temporary Space At Las Vegas Market(sm)

Furniture World Magazine

With two of the three venues for July’s Las Vegas MarketSM fully leased, and the Las Vegas Convention Center nearly 90 percent full, World Market CenterSM’s leasing team continues to grow to keep up with the demand. World Market CenterSM officials announced the hiring of three leasing managers and two administrative support members focused on permanent leasing for Buildings B and C, along with the temporary venues. Joining the ever growing leasing team for the new Las Vegas MarketSM are Vince Shaffer, Martha Denham and Liam Goren as Leasing Managers and Royce Callowhill and Elaine Wang as Leasing Administrative Assistants. Las Vegas MarketSM will hold its first Market in Las Vegas from July 25-29, 2005. The debut event will encompass nearly 2.5 million square feet of permanent and temporary exhibits showcasing furniture, decorative accessories, lighting, bedding, area rugs, and related segments, as well as a Design Center open year-round to the trade. Building A at World Market CenterSM features more than 230 permanent showrooms on 10 floors, and includes leading companies in the home furnishings industry. Temporary exhibits will be seen at two venues: WORLD PAVILIONSSM at World Market CenterSM which consists of 350,000 square feet in three large convention style tents – and WORLD MARKETPLACESM at the Las Vegas Convention Center which comprises 630,000 square feet of exhibition space, with provisions to add more space as needed. In all, an unprecedented 1,000 permanent tenants and temporary exhibitors will be showing at the inaugural Las Vegas MarketSM – representing the most extensive debut for any home furnishings market. “We are very pleased with the growing number of companies that want to be part of Las Vegas MarketSM, and at 1000 exhibitors strong, we are going to have a larger, more diverse offering than originally projected,” said Babs Blair, Director of Leasing. “The leasing effort for the permanent buildings and temporary venues is going very well and we saw a definite need to expand the size of our leasing team to accommodate the demand. We are excited to have experienced, high caliber individuals join the team and are proud of the level of service they provide our clients, who are leading companies in the home furnishings and decorative accessories industry.” Shaffer joins World Market CenterSM as Leasing Manager for permanent showrooms with an emphasis in leasing contemporary furniture floors. He is a proven leader with more than 25 years of experience managing sales and marketing efforts for a number of Fortune 500 companies in a variety of industries including serving as Sales Manager for Facilitec, a $1.2 billion systems furniture manufacturer. With Shaffer’s demonstrated aptitude to maximize sales volume and transform market position through building and retaining client relationships, he will be an asset to World Market CenterSM’s leasing team. Before joining World Market CenterSM, Denham spent four years as a Leasing Manager at Dallas Market Center. In this position, Denham was part of the Hard Goods leasing team and was responsible for leasing permanent showrooms to members of the gift-gourmet industry. Her experience with other market facilities bolsters her energetic rapport with manufacturers and her understanding of Las Vegas MarketSM. Denham joins World Market CenterSM as Leasing Manager for permanent showrooms in Buildings B and C, serving home furnishings and decorative accessories clients. Goren serves as Leasing Manager of Temporary Exhibits, assisting clients with exhibit space at the two temporary venues. He possesses more than five years of experience in various facets of the trade show industry including exhibit, sponsorship and advertising sales, most recently as an Account Executive with ConvExx. In this position, Goren sold sponsorship packages and exhibit space for some of the largest trade shows including SEMA, International Auto Salon, World Tire Expo and EXP3. He attributes much of his success to his ability to understand clients’ needs and proactively search out solutions while maintaining constant communication with his clients. Callowhill and Wang have been hired as Leasing Administrative Assistants and will assist the leasing staff with the demand among prospective exhibitors. Prior to joining World Market CenterSM, Callowhill was a Sales System Administrator with Freeman Decorating and has an extensive background in planning trade show events for such organizations as Equestrian Trails, Inc. and Nevada Restaurant Association. Wang served as an Executive Assistant to a number of senior level managers at respected companies in the hotel, gaming and furniture industries. For leasing opportunities or to pre-register for the first Market, call 888-416-8600 or visit: www.LasVegasMarket.com.