High Point Expands Central Registration Locations

Furniture World Magazine

As part of its continuing efforts to improve the Market experience for all attendees, the High Point Market Authority is expanding central registration locations to include both the 220 Elm and the C&D showroom buildings this fall. At Market last spring, central registration locations were limited to the International Home Furnishings Center (IHFC), Showplace and Merchandise Mart Properties. This Market will also mark the first time ever that all exhibitors, showroom and sales staff will be issued High Point Market passes recognized by all of the showroom buildings. According to Brian Casey, president of the High Point Market Authority, the additional central registration locations were added to help smooth Market’s official opening day: Monday, October 16, 2006. “Certainly, we are encouraging pre-registration for all Market attendees, in order to speed everyone on their way that morning and ensure that their time is used productively,” Casey said. “That said, we’re working hard to make it easy for attendees to tailor the Market experience to their unique needs.” “The addition of our building as a central registration location is really just another element of the heightened customer service that we are providing,” relates Heinz Kattenfeld, general manager of 220 Elm. “Our goal at 220 Elm is to be a very customer-friendly building and I think that this will be a great help to all of our exhibitors and their customers. I have to say that it’s been great to work with the other buildings as a team to improve Market as a whole. There is a tremendous sense of cooperation now and many of the things that we’ve been talking about for years are happening now.” “High Point attracts a very sophisticated clientele that encompasses the world’s leading retailers, designers and manufacturers,” says Eddie Echols, managing director of C&D. “These people have a certain level of expectation about the overall Market experience. At C&D, we’ve been spending hundreds of thousands on upgrading our building over the past few Markets, both from a technological standpoint and appearance. We believe this is show business after all! The ability to register buyers and exhibitors in a high-speed, high-tech manner just adds to the overall ambience and experience that we’re working to create.” Additionally, Echols says, “This move makes things a lot more convenient for both the buyers and the exhibitors. We’re all working toward making this a convenient Market for buyers to conduct their business. But, by the same token, Market can be a difficult multi-week period for the exhibitors. Anything that we can do to streamline the registration experience for them will be to everybody’s benefit. The key to all of this is that High Point is listening and responding and doing what needs to be done. It’s so easy for the cynics to say that this is a provincial Southern town that cannot respond, but the fact of the matter is, this is still the most exciting global market that there is.” Indeed, along with adding the new locations for central registration, the Market Authority has made a number of other operational enhancements designed to positively impact Market-goers’ experiences this fall. Among these, “We’ve enhanced our on-line planning tools at www.highpointmarket.org, added special discounts on rental cars, increased shuttle times from the Raleigh and Charlotte Airports and expanded both the hours and equipment devoted to our Go-Anywhere Shuttles which were so well received last Market,” says Tammy Covington Nagem, vice president of operations. “Plus, the covering of our new transportation terminal will be halfway to completion by Market and fully covered by the spring. These are just a few of the ways that we’re working to improve the overall customer experience here in High Point, because where the Market Authority is concerned, innovation is the name of the game.” About the International Home Furnishings Market Authority: The International Home Furnishings Market Authority is the official sponsor of the International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, North Carolina. Featuring more than 2600 exhibitors and attracting tens of thousands of visitors from more than 110 countries, the International Home Furnishings Market is the driving force of the home furnishings industry.