Forbidden City Show; A Hit
Despite the freezing weather, hundreds of people were reported to have crowded in High Point, North Carolina. The hundreds of people spilling into "The Heart of Furnitureland" for the Forbidden City Furniture Show, Lifestyle Enterprise's third annual winter event.
The said event hosts hundreds of retailers showing off their wares to consumers coming in from different states around the country. Reports has it that more than 600 retailers are present at the event which means that consumers will be given a lot of choices. Lifestyle Enterprise reportedly had booked flights and hotel rooms for over 580 people. Apart from those coming into High Point via planes, there are also those coming into the city who traveled by land.
Managing director James Riddle said that he even spotted exhibitors from as far away as Panama. He said that he have seen retailers present at the event which are from Mexico, Chicago, and Northern California. Buyers also come from different states. Riddle related that there were buyers who visited the event coming from Puerto Rico, New England, Alaska, and Hawaii.
The break room of the company opens at 7:15 in the morning according to Riddle. He further said that by 7:30, there were already eight registered retailers each of whom already has three or four buyers. That just shows how the event is being supported despite the weather. Apart from exhibitors in Lifestyle Enterprise's break room, Riddle also said that there are also about 50 more exhibitors located in the downtown area of High Point.
This is the third year that the company has held the event and with the first two events becoming huge success, they are hoping that they would not disappoint this year. The case goods and leather upholstery importer will be offering incentives to consumers. Riddle though said that incentives offered by the company are only used to draw attention of consumers. He pointed out that the value of the goods is the real selling point.
Riddle said that the industry is in a slow period and the event might inject some new blood into it. The weakening value of the US dollar and the weak housing market is the reasons behind the sub-par performance of the furniture industry. "Everybody wants to come up with the silver bullet, and we have the silver bullet," said Riddle.
At the said event, it would be easy for consumers to spot furniture and other home d?cor such as fireplace screens thanks to the huge number of participating retailers.
