Jun 13, 2007

World Market Center Offers Dynamic Trends Series During July Las Vegas Market

La Vegas – Las Vegas Market aims to provide retailers and designers with the most relevant seminars and education to improve their business, and this summer will deliver its most comprehensive and inspiring trend series yet.

The Summer Market, July 30 – August 3, 2007, will feature a three-part series by the industry’s top gurus entitled ConsumerWatch, ColorWatch and TrendWatch. The in-depth series is designed to help buyers see the full gamut of trend – from color palettes to consumer preferences – for the year ahead.

“These seminars will prove to be very valuable for buyers and designers who want to get a broad view of what’s happening in the world from design, color, retail and consumers to demographics and societal shifts,” said Dana Andrew, director of marketing and public relations for World Market Center. “The seminars not only impart trends, but also help attendees make their way around Market. The seminars are a great way of providing direction and helping attendees assimilate everything that’s going on around them, whether it’s figuring out which sections of the market they want to go to or just knowing what to look for when they walk around.”

At this summer’s Market, Maxine Lauer, founder and president of Sphere Trending LLC, will present a ConsumerWatch seminar on Tuesday, July 31 at 10:00 a.m. in World Market Center’s Building B that will cover big-picture macro trends that cause consumers to shop, think and live differently, and how that affects the future. Sphere Trending brings together macro and micro trend information and focuses on the “why” behind “what’s new.”

“Retailers need to go to these seminars to understand,” Lauer said. “Consumers are saying, ‘It takes a lot for me to buy a product. Retail is looking boring. Nothing is exciting me anymore.’ We need to learn what consumers are really expecting, because if we don’t, they’ll go to the person who does deliver what they want.”

Christine Chow, director of membership and associate director of The Color Association will be presenting a ColorWatch seminar at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, July 30 in World Market Center’s Building B co-sponsored by Vance Publishing’s Furniture Style. According to Chow, people are very enthusiastic about color trends.

“I think that one retail or one trend seminar and one color seminar is crucial to keeping yourself up to date with what is going on out there,” said Chow. “In everyday life, people seldom manage to have conversations about color. What I’ve heard is that people enjoy that I put color trends in relation to products. It really helps them understand the trends and helps them to see applications and realize interpretations of that.”

Michelle Lamb, co-founder and chairman of Marketing Directions Inc. and senior editor of The Trend Curve, will present the TrendWatch seminar on Wednesday, August 1 at 10:00 a.m. at the Sands Expo and co-sponsored by Vance’s Accessory Merchandising. She will speak about emerging styles with images from the most recent trade events, including looks fresh from the show floor in Las Vegas.

These seminars are exclusive educational offerings by Las Vegas Market, making the learning opportunity even more unique for attendees. Lamb said she tailors her seminar specifically for Las Vegas Market.

“When I come to Las Vegas, I always get there before my seminar so I can walk the floors and walk the buildings,” Lamb said. “I have always been able to include new images that I’ve taken right from the market in my seminar, because there are trend-worthy things going on. That gives me the opportunity to say, ‘Here is someone who represents the trend and where it’s going and where you can see it.”

That spells convenience for buyers —just another plus for attending the seminars. Buyers can get much more than just the skinny on trends. As Lauer said, it’s also about being relevant to the consumer of the future.

“As we move away from quality, price and design — which used to be what every body developed product on — we find that it’s now about the emotion and experience of that product and the environment in which it’s sold. Buyers need to come and learn what it takes to be a successful retailer in the future,” Lauer said.

The Summer Las Vegas Market will take place July 30-August 3, 2007 at World Market Center’s Buildings A and B, the Pavilions; the temporaries will be featured at the Sands Expo opening on Tuesday, July 31. For more information, please visit: lasvegasmarket.com