Aug 27, 2020

Dallas Total Home & Gift Market delivers for buyers

Dallas Market Center and its recent Total Home & Gift Market exceeded all expectations during a successful summer show with strong attendance and confident order writing inside a safe and secure marketplace. Following accelerated pre-registration and a steady decline in local COVID-19 cases, the Aug. 19-25 show welcomed 55% of the attendance compared with last summer’s market.

In addition, the number of new buyers doubled from January, with the largest increase coming from the Southeast. Supporting the retail rebound and flourishing design business, 97% of exhibitors in Dallas were open to build or deepen relationships, help buyers discover what’s new, and to facilitate the significant orders placed at the show.

The marketplace presented more than 60 new and expanded showrooms, the only Temps of any marketplace this summer, thousands of in-stock items ready-to-ship, and the debut of inspiring new product collections. The result was a confident and focused buying event that welcomed a steady pace of buyers in the weeks prior to the show, strong traffic and orders throughout the market week, and continued the momentum into the following week’s Apparel & Accessories Market, KidsWorld, and Western & English Market.

“This market was unprecedented in so many ways so on behalf of our exhibitors thank you to our buyers for their tremendous support. Working together, we created a market that supported business renewal while also being as safe as possible. Attendance was much better than expected, and the orders flowed into showrooms and Temps to drive business during a critical time,” said Cindy Morris, president and CEO. “This show was a pivotal moment for retail but it’s one event as we support business throughout the summer, the fall and into 2021 with multiple buying opportunities and of course daily business. Superior to any other marketplace we are able to serve buyers when they are ready, and over the last 90 days we have welcomed thousands of buyers from 47 states. This pandemic has in many ways confirmed what we see as the new marketplace model—to serve buyers on their schedule and throughout the year.”

Showroom Reports: Strong Traffic and Buying

Inside neighborhoods of permanent showrooms including gift and home, gourmet and housewares, holiday and floral, and apparel and accessories, retailers and designers discovered more new resources and exhibitors noted the market success measured by traffic and orders.

Buyers: Focused on Renewal and Growth

Over the last 90 days, buyers from 47 states have visited Dallas Market Center. During the Total Home & Gift Market, a few of them paused to provide their perspective on business renewal and attending the show.

The Only Summer Temps: Exhibitors Thrilled

Among the hundreds of Dallas Temps, exhibitors reported steady traffic and orders as 9 out of 10 Dallas buyers continue to make the Temps a destination for discovering new resources.

Health & Safety First: 32,541 Temperature Checks

Outside of the show, Dallas County continued to report a significant decline in local COVID-19 cases. The latest reports indicate the lowest daily case counts since April. Inside the marketplace and supporting the comfort, health and safety of all attendees, the market center continued strict new measures that began earlier in the summer and will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Those protocols, available for review via a link on the front page of the DMC website, include mandatory face covering and temperature screening for every person entering the marketplace every day. Dallas Market Center performed 32,541 temperature checks the week of the show.

Other efforts included low contact entry via the Market FastPass, which saw a dramatic adoption in the weeks prior to the show, as well as enhanced cleaning with hospital grade products, hundreds of hand sanitizing stations, limited food service, no gatherings, and signage for social distancing. Along with these new steps, there are safety measures that are part of the design of the marketplace: open parking, large entryways, quick registration in multiple areas, wide hallways, multiple escalators, and showrooms with controlled access to allow for the appropriate distance between customers.

Virtual Events and Interactive Displays

Although in-person events such as tours and seminars did not take place, the market center offered an array of virtual programming including trend tours with retail guru Rawlins Gilliland, who invited viewers to join him as he stopped by a range of showrooms and temps. Sessions included Unexpected Gifts, Hottest Temps, Gifts Guaranteed to Sell, Trending Home Decor, Giftable Floral, and High Design Home. In addition, the QR Code displays and contest returned for August. Buyers were able to visit displays across the marketplace and use the DMC mobile app to scan QR codes for a chance to win $1000. Inside the Gourmet Market, home to more than 300 tasty pre-packaged products, a gift card giveaway, a 3-night hotel giveaway, and socially distant product tastings took place throughout the show.

Looking Ahead

As retailers continue to seek a wider array of new products and to visit the marketplace on their own schedule, only Dallas Market Center is open daily and presents a series of fall events to support inspiration, discovery, and ordering. In September, Total Home & Gift Market takes place September 23-25, together with an Apparel & Accessories Open House September 22-24 and Fall Design Week September 22-24. In October, First Monday & Tuesday takes place October 5-6, followed by Apparel & Accessories Market October 20-23; KidsWorld October 20-23; and a Gift & Home Open House October 20-23.

Looking further ahead, November and December will offer First Monday & Tuesday events. January Total Home & Gift Market will take place January 6-12 with Temps January 6-9; Lightovation takes place January 7-10; Apparel & Accessories Market takes place January 13-16; KidsWorld January 13-16; the Dallas premiere of the largest Western and English trade events: WESA’s International Western/English Apparel & Equipment Trade Show plus AETA International Trade Show take place January 14-17; and Dallas Men’s Show takes place January 23-25.

Dallas Market Center offers buyers from around the world a complete lifestyle marketplace of best-selling and unique products in temporary and permanent showrooms, including the largest residential lighting trade event in North America; the largest and most successful open-daily design center; dominant trade events for gift, home décor, holiday and floral; and the nation’s most comprehensive apparel and accessories marketplace featuring the latest styles from East Coast and West Coast designers.

For more information, visit www.DallasMarketCenter.com.