FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE INTERNATIONAL CASUAL FURNITURE & ACCESSORIES MARKET™
AT CHICAGO'S MERCHANDISE MART IS THE PREMIER RESOURCE FOR CASUAL FURNITURE
CHICAGO [June 18, 2004] — The International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market™ in Chicago is the only market in the United States exclusively dedicated to indoor/outdoor casual furnishings and accessories. All of the industry's top manufacturers are represented in this exquisite market, to be held at The Merchandise Mart, September 18–22, 2004. Retailers can shop more than 300,000 square feet of exhibit space featuring an incredibly comprehensive mix of indoor and outdoor casual furniture and accessories — including the most innovative new product introductions — all conveniently gathered under one roof. The Chicago Casual Market is produced by Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI) and co-sponsored by the Summer & Casual Furniture Manufacturers Association (SCFMA) and the Casual Furniture Retailers Association (CFR).
“The Chicago Casual Market is 31-years strong, and 2004 will prove to be a stellar year for the industry,” said John H. Brennen III, executive vice president, MMPI. “Already this year, the casual industry has expanded at The Merchandise Mart, with new showrooms such as Genercon Pacific Casual and Anacara and industry veterans including Laneventure and Summer Classics, as well as Hanamint Corporation, Mallin Casual, Rock Wood Casual Furniture, Gloster and Telescope Casual Furniture, increasing its showroom presence.
“Over the five days of the Market, top manufacturers, retailers and buyers will be here to view and purchase the best indoor/outdoor product in the casual furnishings industry. Nowhere else but in Chicago can casual furniture retailers find such an incredible depth of product and so many top names together in one place. The casual products component continues to grow at retail and this is a must-attend market for those in the industry,” Brennen concluded.
PRODUCTS SHOWCASED
The temporary exhibitors in the 2nd floor Market Suites will present casual outdoor furniture, hearth products, tabletop/decorative accessories, umbrellas, garden accessories, statuary, planters/pottery and barbecues/grills.
The temporary exhibitors in the 8th floor Market Suites will showcase cast metal furniture, tubular materials furniture, wicker/rattan/woven materials furniture, resin/fiberglass furniture, wood casual furniture, cast combination furniture, wrought iron/wrought aluminum furniture, outdoor lighting and cushions.
The Merchandise Mart is the year-round home to the hottest names in the casual industry and features the most comprehensive selection of innovative casual furniture and accessories in the permanent showrooms on the 16th and 17th floors. Some of the manufacturers on these floors include: Brown Jordan International, Barlow Tyrie, Laneventure, Lloyd/Flanders, Weber, Tropitone, Meadowcraft, Suncoast Aluminum Furniture, Telescope Casual Furniture and many, many more.
ATTENDEE PROFILE
The Chicago Casual Market is open to the trade only. Attendees include: specialty casual furniture retailers, home furnishings retailers, pool and spa retailers, garden center retailers, hearth and fireplace retailers, cataloguers, hardware stores, discount/mass merchandisers, gift and decorative accessory retailers, and interior designers.
NEW PRODUCT GALLERY
The New Product Gallery returns to showcase the latest in casual furniture and accessory trends for the 2005 season — conveniently located on the 1st floor North Lobby of The Mart.
AWARD PRESENTATIONS
2004 Design Excellence Awards
Saturday, Sept. 18, 2004 • 6:30 p.m.
South Lobby • The Merchandise Mart, 1st floor
The prestigious Design Excellence Awards are considered the highest honor recognizing manufacturers for innovative design in casual furnishings. The best designs in 10 different product categories are awarded as judged by a distinguished panel of industry experts. View the season’s newest, most innovative designs, guaranteed to turn heads. This year’s winners will be applauded at the Welcome Party in the South Lobby of The Merchandise Mart on the 1st floor.
45th Annual Apollo Awards
Awards Banquet • Monday, Sept. 20, 2004 • 6:30 p.m.
Navy Pier Grand Ballroom • By invitation only
The year’s outstanding casual furniture retailers are recognized at the elegant Apollo Awards banquet where prestigious awards are presented to retailers in single-store, multi-store and international-store categories. Additionally, the 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award winners will be recognized and the Design Excellence “Best of Show” will be announced.
SEMINARS
Leading experts in the casual furniture industry will present a series of complimentary, informative seminars during the Chicago Casual Market. Focusing on a variety of topics ranging from management techniques and selling to customer service, these valuable seminars will give retailers an edge and provide up-to-date industry information. Complimentary lunch will be served at noon before each presentation. All seminars are sponsored by the Casual Furniture Retailers Association (CFR). This year’s seminar topics are:
Sunday, Sept. 19, 2004
Designing Out: The Home Lifestyle Report
Ted Gramkow, Garden Design magazine • Sponsored by Garden Design magazine
12:30–1:30 p.m. • Seminar • 8th floor, Conference Room E
This unparalleled study is the first to provide quantifiable results as to the impact of the “outdoor room” on consumer lifestyles. The Home Lifestyle Report is presented by Laneventure and Garden Design magazine.
Monday, Sept. 20, 2004
Outdoor Decorating: The New Frontier
Joe Ruggiero, Joe Ruggiero & Associates
12:30–1:30 p.m. • Seminar • 8th floor, Conference Room C
The popular outdoor room now becomes an opportunity for furnishings, fabrics and decorative accessories. Drawing on his experiences from travels throughout the world, Joe Ruggiero will discuss trends and design opportunities for decorating the great outdoors. Ruggiero is currently the executive producer, design director and host of home enhancement shows on the Home and Garden cable television network, (HGTV) including "Homes Across America, Rooms for Improvement, The Best of." Prior to joining HGTV he was a design correspondent for ABC TV program "Good Morning America" and for the award winning PBS series, "This Old House." Mr. Ruggiero's furniture designs feature casegoods, upholstery for Norwalk, fabrics for Sunbrella and casual outdoor furniture for Terra. The Joe Ruggiero Collection is the recipient of the prestigious Pinnacle Award and the American Furniture Award.
Auditioning for High Morale: How to Hire a Motivated Workforce
Carol A. Hacker, Carol A. Hacker & Associates
12:30–1:30 p.m. • Seminar • 8th floor, Conference Room E
Part of one’s job is to screen, interview and hire people with a built-in coach: those who take the initiative, get the job done and are committed for the long haul. This seminar is about doing just that. Guests will learn how to be a discriminating “buyer” and hire self-motivated people the first time around.
Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2004
Turning a Sales Flyer into a Sales Happening!
Tom Shay, Profits Plus Seminars
12:30–1:30 p.m. • Seminar • 8th floor, Conference Room C
The purpose of a direct mail piece is to increase traffic flow with new and repeat customers, while increasing the chances of selling merchandise that is not on sale. Attendees will learn the techniques necessary to bring the customers back time and time again, while selling both sale and non-sale merchandise. It’s not just a sales flyer – it’s a sales happening!
Why Are They Walking Out Without Buying? … The Art of Closing the Sale
Rick Segal, Rick Segal & Associates
12:30–1:30 p.m. • Seminar • 8th floor, Conference Room E
In this interactive session, attendees will learn tactics and techniques that will help them turn the “just lookers” into buyers. Attendees will leave this session with the following valuable tools:
• Ways to subtly gain confidence to painlessly close the sale
• Ways to reposition one’s self as the preferred supplier
• The best counters for every objection
• The seven best closes that work in almost every situation
SPECIAL EVENTS
Welcome Party
Saturday, Sept. 18, 2004 • 6 to 8 p.m.
South Lobby • The Merchandise Mart, 1st floor
Special musical guests: The Afrodisiacs!
Design Excellence Awards will be presented at the Welcome Party at 6:30 p.m.
Design Excellence Presentation
Saturday, Sept.18 • 6:30 p.m.
South Lobby • The Merchandise Mart, 1st floor
Annual Market Party – Co-sponsored by Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc., Casual Living magazine and
Brown Jordan International
Sunday, Sept. 19, 2004 • 6 to 8 p.m.
Joe’s Sports Bar, 940 West Weed Street
*Market badge required • Free trolley service available from The Mart’s South Drive
CFR Membership Breakfast – Manufacturer Leadership Awards
Monday, Sept. 20, 2004 • 7:30 to 9 a.m.
Wolf Point Ballroom, 15th floor • Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza
Market Cocktail Reception
Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2004 • 6–8 p.m.
On show floors 2, 8, 16 and 17
Sponsored by Agio International and Hearth & Home magazine
EVEN MORE PRODUCT OFFERINGS AT THE CHICAGO GIFT & HOME MARKET™
The Chicago Gift & Home Market, ™ Sept. 18–20, will run concurrently with the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market. The amazing selection of products available from top gift and home décor manufacturers, represented on floors 12–15 of The Merchandise Mart, expands buying options for retailers who want to cross-merchandise their stores or round out their selection of home and garden accessories. Product offerings include accessories, accent furnishings, apparel, bath & body, children’s giftware and products, collectibles, crafts, floral, garden, general gift, gourmet foods, holiday, home décor, home furnishings, linens, paper products, plush, stationery and tabletop.
TRAVEL AND REGISTRATION
Buyers and exhibitors can find travel information on The Mart’s Web site at www.merchandisemart.com (click on “Chicago Casual Market” then click on “Travel”) or by calling Mart Travel Services at 800.528.8700 (dial 1.312.527.7300 when calling from outside the United States). Certain travel discounts and special hotel rates are available.
Buyers and exhibitors also can register for the market online at www.merchandisemart.com (click on “Chicago Casual Market” then click on “Registration”). An online form requests the appropriate information from registrants, then generates a 2-D bar code that they print and bring with them to the Market. The printed bar code is scanned on-site and a badge will print immediately.
For more information about the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market, visit www.merchandisemart.com or call 800.677.6278 (MART).
DATES: Sept. 18–22, 2004
*Open to the trade only
HOURS: Saturday–Monday, Sept. 18–20 • 8 a.m.–6 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 21 • 8 a.m.–8 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 22 • 8 a.m.–Noon
INFORMATION: 800.677.6278 [MART] or www.merchandisemart.com and follow the Chicago Casual Market link
TO EXHIBIT: Contact Whitney Gillespie, sales director, MMPI, 312.527.7581 or wgillespie @mmart.com
PRESS INQUIRIES ONLY:
Elizabeth D. Cooley
Public Relations Manager
Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc.
Phone: 312.527.7555
E-mail: ecooley@mmart.com
Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI) is a trade show and property management firm, specializing in managing buildings devoted to wholesale showrooms and commercial office space. MMPI produces more than 300 trade shows, market events and conferences each year.
MMPI manages The Merchandise Mart, Chicago Apparel Center, and 33 North Dearborn in Chicago; Market Square, the Suites at Market Square, Hamilton Market, Plaza Suites, Furniture Plaza and the National Furniture Mart in High Point, N.C.; the Architects & Designers Building in New York; the L.A. Mart in Los Angeles; and the Washington Design Center and Washington Office Center in Washington, D.C.
Vornado Realty Trust, owner of MMPI, based in New York City, is a fully integrated equity real estate investment trust. Vornado’s common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and are traded under the symbol VNO.
###