We’re coming up on one of the biggest events of the year for the home furnishings industry, the High Point Spring Market, right here in our US headquarters of North Carolina.
To say we’re excited is an understatement. After years of attending this jam-packed event we want to share some of our knowledge with you! Whether it’s your first or hundredth market, you’re a seasoned vet, or an industry newbie - we’re sharing our tips and tricks to making the most out of High Point Market. Consider this your (un)official survival guide.
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The Basics of High Point Market: What, When and Where
The High Point Furniture Market, also known as High Point Market, is the largest home furnishings trade show in the world. It takes place biannually in High Point, North Carolina, and features thousands of exhibitors showcasing their latest furniture designs, accessories, and home decor to retail buyers, interior designers, and other industry professionals. The market attracts attendees from all over the globe and offers an unparalleled opportunity for networking, business growth, and discovering the latest trends in the furniture industry.
This year’s Spring Market runs from April 22nd to 26th from 8am to 7pm daily.
Covering over 11.5 million square feet of showroom space and 13 city blocks, the market is broken up into thirteen different ‘neighborhoods’ housing various showroom buildings with a number of exhibitors. With approximately 2000 exhibitors, you’re going to want to make sure you have a solid plan in place to visit each neighborhood and take it all in at a good pace. As a truly global event, with approximately 75,000 attendees ––over one hundred countries are represented at High Point Market. Find the full list of exhibitors here.
Navigating High Point Market
If you’re new to the market or just feeling like you need a refresher once you’re there, there are several tours offered specifically to enhance your own market experience. If you like to err on the side of independence, High Point Market offers an array of downloadable maps and guides to help inform your market plan. And if you’re on site and in a pinch, multiple information centers will be able to assist you in finding what you need!
Breaking Down The Neighborhoods
As the saying goes… it’s a beautiful day in the (seven) neighborhood(s)!
High Point Market is broken up into seven neighborhoods, each with their own set of showrooms and exhibitors. Let’s dive into what you can find in each one.
1. Commerce Concourse
Your main hub for transportation and the IHFC building, housing the Showplace building and Center Stage, where you can enjoy music Saturday and Sunday evenings.
2. Hamilton Wrenn North
In this neighborhood, you’ll find “high-end, design-oriented makers and expansive showrooms of many major brands”.
3. North Elm
Unique and artisan-focused showrooms housed within a walkable neighborhood.
4. Market Square & Elm
Where you’ll find some of the best known rug, fabric and furniture brands. This neighborhood contains the Suites at Market Square, the Antique & Design Center, the Commerce & Design building and Market Square Tower.
5. Russell & Green
With a wide variety of showrooms, you’ll find everything from antiques to importers to luxury designers in this neighborhood.
6. Downtown Main
Housing the National Furniture Mart, Furniture Plaza and Plaza Suites, this neighborhood is a must visit for market-goers.
7. Centennial Wrenn South
Last but not least! Show buildings housing multiple exhibitors fill this neighborhood. Find Market On Green, Home Fashions Resource Center and the four Center Point buildings.
How To Get Around
Market shuttles are going to be your best friend over the course of a busy four days! Shuttles run from the airport, hotels and throughout the downtown showroom district, getting you anywhere you need to go during Spring Market.
The airport shuttles begin on Thursday, April 20th while the hotel, downtown and go-anywhere shuttles will be serving market-goers beginning Friday, April 21st.
To make shuttle reservations and get more information on schedules, visit the High Point Market Authority website.
Catching Up With Colleagues
Don’t forget to fuel yourself during those long market days! If you’re looking for a different spot to hold a meeting or connect with colleagues aside from the showrooms, try out some of the dining options in the Market District or local eats from High Point or neighboring Greensboro and Winston-Salem.
Spread throughout Spring Market, you’ll find an array of food trucks, quick eats and restaurants specializing in cuisines like Japanese, BBQ, Mediterranean and Mexican (to name just a few). View the full list of Market dining options here.
Quick Tips Roundup
The excitement of market can be a lot! Here are our top quick tips broken down into bite sized information pieces that you can keep top of mind as you make your way through a busy five days of all things home furnishings:
- Make a plan! This tip is number one for a reason. If you want to fit it all in, you have to plan strategically and make the most of your time (this is going to come into play again in a couple points).
- Rest up. Market means long days with infinite amounts of things to see and learn, you’ll want to make sure you’re well rested and ready to take on the day.
- Pace yourself. However long your Market experience is, be realistic about your time and where you can be. No one wants to be late to meetings and missing showrooms so give yourself plenty of time and don’t try to fit it all in within the first day.
- Shop one building at a time! Jumping around to different neighborhoods and buildings will be a huge time killer. This is where your plan comes into play- scope out which exhibitors you want to see, what showroom building and neighborhood they’re in and go from there. Plan meetings or showroom stops strategically so you maximize your time and aren’t left feeling overwhelmed. Trust us, it will make the experience even more enjoyable if you aren’t running around those 11.5M square feet of Market space.
Meet imagine.io At Spring Market
As you peruse the showrooms and explore the latest spring trends at this year's Spring 2023 market, don't forget to book a meeting with imagine.io. With the growing importance of visual content in eCommerce stores, marketing, and sales, our 3D platform can help you create content faster and more affordably.
You can find us throughout the Market District but the best way to connect with our team and demo our platform is by booking a meeting. Meetings with imagine.io can be held at your showroom or location of choice, during whatever time best suits your needs throughout the busy Market days!
During our meeting, we'll showcase how imagine.io can help streamline your content production process, allowing you to stay ahead of the competition with engaging and dynamic visuals. Make sure to schedule a demo with imagine.io and discover the possibilities of our innovative platform at the Spring 2023 Market.
Here’s a glimpse at the difference our solution makes:
- Enjoy a completely web-based experience (no need to download any software)
- Get renderings and previews in real-time
- Share and collaborate across teams easily and securely
- Access hundreds of stunning templates and thousands of 3D props to create with
By booking a demo at Spring Market, you'll get the full experience and understanding of what our platform can do and see how it can be tailored to your specific needs. Don't miss your chance to meet the imagine.io team and discover how 3D content can take your business to the next level.
Get ahead and book a demo with the imagine.io team here.