HIGH POINT – After proving last fall that it could battle against the big guys, the spring Pre-Market will open Monday with the largest number of pre-registered attendees in its recorded history.

The invitation-only event that takes place about a month before each High Point Market has pre-registered 161 buyers representing 70 companies, which is in line with the High Point Market Authority’s efforts in the last three to four years to beef up the event.

Pre-Market is a two-day event where some showrooms open to a small group of major retailers to offer a sneak preview of market-ready products, said Brian Casey, president of the market authority. By participating, manufacturers receive feedback on products before showing at the High Point Market.

The event went to head-to-head with the Las Vegas Furniture Market for the first time last fall when the Las Vegas show took place Sept. 14-17 and Pre-Market was held Sept. 14-15. Casey said the event performed well against Las Vegas, though the shows are two “very different events.”

“I don’t think there is a comparison between Las Vegas and Pre-Market, but it was unfortunate that Vegas conditioned their dates on top of our Pre-Market (last fall),” he said. “But it was the strongest Pre-Market we’ve had. I think it demonstrates we’ve only improved due to the competition.”

The growing number of people who attend Pre-Market also may indicate that the retail and furniture industries are starting to see some life, Casey said, though the event is something the market authority hopes to keep small and intimate.

“I think Pre-Market is at a good size,” he said. “It’s really proving to be a viable event for the industry. It’s designed to be niche in its approach, and it’s not for everybody. It’s also designed to grow the (fall and spring) High Point Markets.”

Kevin O’Connor, chairman of the market authority’s board of directors and CEO of Samson Marketing, has been credited with re-growing the event, which was once an informal, unofficial gathering of industry officials who wanted to meet before the furniture market arrived, he said. Since it’s rebirth, Pre-Market is becoming “routinely important for buyers and manufacturers” who show at the furniture market, he said.

“It makes their experience a month later that less stressful,” he said.

phaynes@hpe.com | 888-3617