In case you missed it, on July 30th, Jon attended the ASD show and shared some key observations (click here to check out his recap). Next stop on Jon's Vegas tour: Las Vegas Market!
Las Vegas Market (LVM) is a very different type of show. It focuses on Gifts, Furniture, & Home Décor. This is Jon’s first year attending Las Vegas Market. Unlike ASD, LVM is a place to see what the major trends are in color, design, patterns, and products for premium retailers. Las Vegas Market recently took place in the World Market Center near downtown Las Vegas.
Here are Jon’s impressions from his July 31 visit to the Las Vegas Market:
Hello ICBA Members, today I spent time at the Las Vegas Market. While I’ve attended ASD many times over the years, this was my first time going to the LVM.
Las Vegas Market is a very different type of show/event compared to ASD. It focuses on Furniture, Home Décor, & Gifts and is billed as the largest show of its kind in the western U.S.
Las Vegas Market takes place in the World Market Center near downtown Las Vegas. There are three giant buildings, each with 10-16 floors.
Unlike a typical trade show with booths, exhibitors at LVM show their wares in well-merchandised showrooms on each floor (there are up to 40 showrooms on a given floor that range from 1,000 sq. ft. up to perhaps 5,000 sq. ft.). If you do the math, that’s a heckuva lot of showrooms and floors to browse! LVM also offers a number of educational sessions from major retailers, designers, and industry leaders. The other major difference is that LVM is primarily premium product from name brands (as opposed to ASD which offers lots of direct import, private label, closeout, and off-price options).
ASD/LVM Summary:
For college stores, ASD is absolutely a show where the goal should be to find suppliers, negotiate some great deals, and take a few chances on new categories and merchandise. LVM, on the other hand, is more of an opportunity to gain inspiration and get a sense of trends. Both shows require more than 1 day of attendance, if one is to see all (or most) of what is being offered.
In terms of recurring category/product themes I think were notable (beyond all of the traditional ones you would expect to see), I would list:
- Puzzles/Games/Toys
- Vintage/Americana/Authentic Décor
- Inspirational/Aspiration Themed Merchandise
- Diffusers/Scents/Aromatherapy
- Globes/Maps (as décor more than as functional tools)
- Fashionable Mobile Electronics Accessories
- Ath-Leisure Apparel Product (beyond the basics: more patterns, colors, lengths)
All-in-All, for college stores, I would recommend ASD because I think most college stores will be able to find relevant products and can buy at significant discounts that will more than pay for the time and expense of attending. I would not recommend LVM for college stores, in terms of justifying the travel cost on its own. The fact that LVM runs concurrently with ASD, however, does make it valuable and worthwhile (if you are already in Las Vegas).
