Trends Display At TCHFM Boasts New Format

Furniture World Magazine

Trends Display shows off to the “Gallery” November 28, 2007 – The Canadian Home Furnishings Market, which takes place from January 12 to 15, 2008, at the International Centre in Mississauga, near Toronto, will be presenting the ninth edition of its Trends Display, a highly anticipated and much appreciated visitor attraction. Created by two presentation design specialists, André Caron and Pierre D’Anjou, a total of fourteen new displays will feature a unique design concept that will shine the spotlight on products from Canadian exhibitors. Today’s retailers are fully aware that in order to attract well-informed and highly sought after customers and retain their attention, one can no longer just settle for lining up furniture on the store floor. Presentations that create visual ambiences and offer inspiration for ideas that customers can replicate at home have become essential to visual merchandising. This has given rise to what is known as the gallery concept—a trend-setting approach that’s growing quickly among furniture retailers. It is within this scope that our two experts decided that this year’s showroom concept would be broadened to incorporate a furniture gallery. They developed the Market’s new Trends Display based on the notion of an architectural space that resembles a retail showroom floor featuring several themed visual presentation areas. By doing so, visitors to The Canadian Home Furnishings Market can explore the Trends Display and enjoy a different experience than other years; they’ll get the impression that they’ve just walked into a real store. In reality, due to the high cost of square footage, the gallery concept can only be applied to a part of a store’s overall surface area, especially since themed presentations require significantly more space. But according to our two experts, they have the advantage of retaining attention and interest in such a way as to direct customers more easily to other collections on display throughout the store. To pull off the gallery concept, one needs to apply the same rules as with any store display; start by determining which spaces will be used for the presentations, keep them well spaced out, then proceed with choosing an appropriate theme under which to present the furniture. Remember to avoid cluttered presentations and be sure to consider appropriate colours and accessories before completing the final presentation with perfect accent lighting. Industry professionals are invited to discover the 2008 Trends Display during the Launch Party on Saturday, January 12, at 6 p.m. (Hall 5), sponsored by Furniture Style.