World Market Center

Market, Market, Market!

WORLD MARKET CENTER, LAS VEGAS MARKET, AND THE GLOBAL DESIGN STAGE

BY BRIAN G. THORNTON // PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF IMC

When Jan Brady, middle daughter of 70s sitcom THE BRADY BUNCH, told her parents she was sick of being overshadowed by older sister Marcia…things began to change. That triple cry for attention resonated and gave birth to her own identity. It’s become a meme or an expression of jealousy towards someone else’s success. Market, Market, Market could easily refer to design Markets in High Point, NC, Atlanta, GA, and our own Las Vegas Market. In a town where more is more and excess is best, Las Vegas’s World Market Center unabashedly glows by comparison to its competition domestically and by sheer size on the global stage. We celebrate our superlative status and simultaneously demystify what goes on beyond the 16-story buildings for designers, their clients, and visitors in downtown Las Vegas.

NOT JUST GAMING ANYMORE

Las Vegas is more than gaming, casinos, and entertainers. However, the first things that come to most people’s minds when they think of Las Vegas are miles of neon or LED lights, day and nightlife, and larger-than-life tourist experiences. With post-pandemic residents buying, Californians are relocating, renovating, and building here, and they need home décor now more than ever. Many still import their designers, but there is no shortage of talent in the valley, and they have the hometown advantage of established relationships with the design center and the semiannual Las Vegas Winter and Summer Markets.

The World Market Center’s iconic Building A opened in 2005.

I reached out to colleague Cain Brodie, General Manager for the Las Vegas Design Center, to give voice to the three buildings seen from I-15 heading north. I’ve known Cain for more than 13 years, and I watched him progress from Brand Manager to Director of Marketing in 2014. I especially wanted to ask about the Las Vegas Design Center and how it functions with the World Market Center and the branded Market trade shows that happen in Winter and Summer.

GROWING GAINS

It could be said that the World Market Center is the real home shopping network. Many would argue, especially after our global pandemic, that in-person shopping leaves a lot to be desired. Virtual shopping or electronic retailing made popular by mega-retailers tries to imitate design Marketing. Those in the industry like to call this “the Amazon effect.” You have to be able to sit on the furniture, and there is no replacement for the tactile experience and absolute color rendition under showroom lighting.

According to Brodie, “The World Market Center, Las Vegas project broke ground in 2004, with Building A and the first Market debuting in July 2005. Building B opened in 2007, followed by Building C in 2008. Las Vegas Design Center was branded and launched in 2009, consisting of the first two floors of Building A. Those showrooms would open daily to serve the regional design community and retailers in between markets. In 2011, IMC was formed with $1B in funding from Bain Capital and Oaktree, which was used to facilitate the acquisition of 13 buildings in High Point and the World Market Center campus in Las Vegas. In 2018, IMC acquired AmericasMart Atlanta, which pushed IMC’s assets to 3 cities and over 20 million square feet of showroom space.”

In 2020, The Expo at World Market Center was completed. This state-of-the-art, purpose-built facility features 315,000 square feet of exhibit/tradeshow space and is the only active convention hall in downtown Las Vegas. In addition to housing the temporary exhibits during Las Vegas Market, the facility hosts several third-party tradeshows and events throughout the year. In 2020, IMC launched IMC-di, which in turn launched IMC’s first-ever e-commerce platform Juniper Market in 2021.

The Expo at World Market Center

Cain Brodie has been the General Manager of the Las Vegas Design Center since 2019. “LVDC offers a true, complete trade-sourcing opportunity from furniture to fabrics, lighting to wall décor, rugs to decorative accessories, kitchen & bath, and more. For many brands in LVDC, LVDC is the only trade/corporate showroom they have west of the Mississippi. While most of those lines are available through sales agencies and reps throughout the country, LVDC provides the only opportunity out west to see many of those full lines in person, in a trade-showroom environment. This draws buyers and specifiers throughout the Western United States”, says Brodie.

Kara Maas is an interior designer from Southern California with 25 years of professional experience. She currently holds the title of Designer Relations Specialist. On most visits to LVDC, you’ll see her at the Front Desk, multi-tasking and greeting designers and visitors. Our interview wanted to get into her day-to-day and learn what it’s like to be on the ‘front line’ of LVDC and navigate through Market, recent challenges of COVID, and the pandemic.

Maas began, “There is no typical day before Market. As I tell friends when they ask what Market is, ‘Market is like hosting a big party twice a year.’ The weeks leading to Market are a lot of planning, and the days before opening day are a fun and crazy bustle of activity. There are always last-minute changes or additions.”

Kara moved to Las Vegas in 2015 and gravitated toward what she knew, and she knew Market. “I had been attending Las Vegas Market since the very first one in the Summer of 2005. I was not as familiar with the campus ‘off market’ and was excited to learn about it and later join Las Vegas Design Center. LVDC serves the local and regional design community. In between markets, we host several seminars and events tailored to the industry. I enjoy working at LVDC because every day offers something different while remaining in the industry.”

Maas gets to work closely with designers as well as showrooms and manufacturers. “I need to know the showrooms and their product offerings…many times, designers will reach out to me to help identify an item or get a referral,” she says. “The start of the pandemic had a lot of unknowns,” she responded. “Not knowing if it was going to be the start of the next recession or not.”

“Our LVDC team worked from home for the first few months and learned to pivot fast. I had never heard of Zoom before, and now I use it multiple times a day. We moved our programming and seminars online, and it was interesting to see how those changed. We were suddenly able to reach a much broader audience. Instead of an in-person event of 40-50 designers, we suddenly saw our virtual audience jump to well over 100 – with attendees joining from as far as the East Coast.”

“One of the outcomes of the pandemic was demand,” Maas says. “Surprisingly, there was a huge demand for home furnishings and décor. Interior Designers were busier than ever. With the demand so high, we were able to work with the local government and reopen LVDC in June 2020.”

Heather Jakusz-Bruning is an Independent Sales Representative in the residential and hospitality segments. She’s been doing this for over ten years now. Generally located in the Southwest Region, her territories vary by line but include AZ, CO, HI, NM, NV, and UT.

Her lines include Howard Elliott (mirrors, accessories, accent furniture, wall art, pillows, outdoor) and recently moved in January 2022 to a gorgeous new showroom; RC Furniture (a high-end upholstery line); Capel Rugs (Capel is family-owned and has been in business for over 100 years); Artmax (a unique collection of furniture, lighting, wall art, and decorative accessories) shows during the Markets in Space B467. Her line also includes Christopher Guy (a Luxury Line made in Java, Indonesia) anchored in a beautiful showroom on the ground floor of Building A but pulled out of the US Markets upon the untimely death of the founder, Chris Harrison.

As far as her favorites, Heather says, “Well, they’re all my favorite, and it just depends on what my client is looking for. I have a lot to offer, and unfortunately, all my lines do not show at the LVDC (yet)!”

“I’ve also created wonderful relationships with the LVDC staff & showroom managers. It’s work but also social, and I LOVE that!” Jakusz-Brunin continued, “I attended an evening event at the LVDC Christopher Guy showroom and was introduced to the CG Sales Director. The next day, I interviewed for outside sales with Christopher Guy, and the rest is history! The LVDC has been a very important part of my career, and I’m proud to be a part of it. We are lucky to have this wonderful resource here in Las Vegas!”

Cary Vogel, IDS, owner and lead designer of Interiors by Cary Vogel, is an award-winning designer in every aspect of the term. With 34 years in Las Vegas and over four decades in total, he performs his craft in Mid-to-High End Residential design. He’s now retired from practice in Las Vegas and New York.

Cary recalls, “Early on in starting up my practice, I needed area rugs for a project, and the manager of Capel Rugs, Suzanne Berger was so helpful in searching out options, locating other available rugs in their main warehouse, providing high-res images and loaning samples. She even delivered a room-size rug in her car to the job site and assisted me in getting it into the client’s home!”
Typically, he would average once-a-month visits, and during the closures of the pandemic, “initially, all was handled remotely via phone calls, email and requesting samples mailed out to me.”

Some of his favorite showrooms include Global Views and Studio A, Wendover Art, Leftbank Art, Hooker Furniture, Currey & Co., Capel Rugs, and Feizy Rugs. Of course, all the temporary spaces during markets!

Sheila Blanton is the Head Designer for Loni M Design – a residential design firm doing business in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The company has been in business for 12 years.

Ms. Blanton added that among her favorite showrooms are Global Views, Currey & Co, Four Hands, Left Bank Art, Azzurro, Nourison Rugs, Area West, etc. “There’s so many here, so these are just a few of my favorites.” She added, “I have a design office at World Market, so I’m there 2-3 times a week. During the pandemic, I was able to work from my home office, but the challenge to this day is getting products. I’m only purchasing and showing clients items in stock or on the floor for purchase.”

One special moment? “I was desperate for lighting and went into Currey & Company and found exactly what I needed. An amazing sales rep, Randy, assisted me with opening an account and getting my items out to the project ASAP.”

Julie O’Dwyer is the owner of JulieO Design, a residential architecture and interior design firm. She has been in the design industry her whole life, literally, and grew up in her father’s architecture studio.“I have been practicing architecture and interior design for over 30 years now. My design studio is in the heart of the beautiful Rogue Valley, Ashland, Oregon. My clients take me all over, though.” O’Dwyer added, “Currently, I have projects in Los Angeles & Sacramento CA, Asheville NC, Tampa FL, Dallas TX, Spokane WA, and Naples ID.”

“My two must-sees in Las Vegas are The Phillips Collection and Fourhands furniture. Each gives me a sense of what is hot on the Market and what uniqueness can be added. I used to go at least once a year, but COVID kept me at home. This year, I am looking forward to Market, but I might also try the shows in Atlanta, NYC, or Chicago.” Further, “The pandemic left me with only virtual representation. It is difficult because I am not located in a major city, so I had to do a lot of sourcing when I traveled. I LOVE going to the Global Views showroom each and every time. I think I know every piece in their catalog, and then I see something displayed in a new way, and it inspires me all over again. One day I will have their Turned Pendant Chandelier hanging in my dining room, and all will be good in the world!”

Hooker Furnishings Showroom

YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW

As part of the International Market Center, World Market Center Las Vegas is the largest center of its type in the world, encompassing over 5 million square feet in three original connected buildings. “IMC serves as the center of commerce for the furniture, gift, home décor, and apparel industries, bringing buyers and sellers together from all over the world in Atlanta, High Point, and Las Vegas. IMC’s leadership team consists of seasoned veterans with decades of experience in the home furnishings, gift, and apparel industries. Please visit https://www.imcenters.com/our-leadership/ for details on our leadership and ownership teams.

“LVDC continues to add and improve upon its product offering to the local design community. Recent additions include major home furnishings manufacturer Hooker Furnishings and accessories provider Howard Elliott Collection. Look for more new resources coming soon,” Brodie says.

“For the future,” says Brodie, “the impact of e-commerce on the home furnishings industry is ever-present. IMC’s launch of Juniper Marketplace offers buyers and designers a complete omnichannel experience that offers sourcing and buying resources year-round. We are so very fortunate to have this great resource in the Las Vegas valley. We are even more fortunate to have the breadth of talent in and around the region to support the Las Vegas Design Center.”

“Chic Compass magazine asked me to give my thoughts about our World Market Center as an architectural showplace, a one-of-a-kind Design Center, and a beacon in the design community that could not be overlooked. As a newcomer to Las Vegas in 2006 as Director of Design for MGM MIRAGE Design Group, I had to learn that the recently opened center was the go-to place for design sourcing and the local nucleus for all of the above. As the recession of 2008 hit and the entire creative sources were challenged like no other time, we watched as the World Market Center expanded to celebrate the openings of Buildings B and C.”

“What was unheard of at the time was multiple industry organizations that had barely survived in their respective universes. With fledgling resources and talent seeking work or relocating, there was no connectivity. I invited ADAS – The Architectural & Decorative Arts Society, AIA – American Institute of Architects, ASID – American Society Of Interior Designers, IDS – International Design Society, IIDA – International Interior Designers Association, NEWH – Network Of Women In Design, NKBA National Kitchen and Bath Association, and the newcomer my non-profit network for creatives, designMINDS.”

“I approached The LVDC in the spring of 2009 to host a networking and showcase of talent reception during the Hospitality Design Expo that came to town once a year. With all this activity and luminaries visiting, it was a time to show off our hometown talent and introduce visitors to Las Vegas’s World Market Center. This success was followed by opening its doors for the first annual Holiday Gala at World Market Center. This themed party with over 600 attendees brought the recovering design and creative community together after a harsh economic downfall. It had never been done before! For years this was the largest all-encompassing holiday charity event at the time.”

“To this day, this is one of my most rewarding contributions and community-related activities in my career. I don’t think Las Vegas will soon forget the generosity and comradery generated by this series of events.”

Just because saying “Market, Market, Market” three times doesn’t work like a charm, it still conjures up great shopping experiences.

Nick Alain Showroom