CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. – Citing concerns relating to COVID-19, full-line furniture resource Furniture of America said it will not open its showroom during the Aug. 30-Sept. 3 Las Vegas Market and will instead host an online “Live Virtual Market.” that will be spread over two weeks.
The virtual event will take place from Aug. 24-28 and from Aug. 31 – Sept. 3. It will allow customers to interact with FOA account executives via remote video conferencing, and customers can make appointments with their sales representative leading into each event via the company website.
“We define family as our employees and our customers, and putting any of them at risk is not worth any amount of business,” said Michael Genrich, senior vice president, sales and marketing.
Through the virtual platform, attendees can learn about and take advantage of market-only discounts and raffle prizes. The company also plans to release a new catalog shortly after the event, allowing participants first access to its newest products.
Genrich said that the goal is create a different but comparable experience as the Las Vegas Market.
“This is a unique opportunity not just for FOA but for the whole industry to show how we can adapt to this global challenge we are currently facing,” he said. “We’re excited to be exploring brand new means to deliver what our customers have come to expect from FOA—great products over a wide variety of price points.”
Dealers can learn more about and make appointments for the virtual market by visiting www.foagroup.com/market.
I’m Tom Russell and have worked at Furniture/Today since August 2003. Since then, I have covered the international side of the business from a logistics and sourcing standpoint. Since then, I also have visited several furniture trade shows and manufacturing plants in Asia, which has helped me gain perspective about the industry in that part of the world. As I continue covering the import side of the business, I look forward to building on that knowledge base through conversations with industry officials and future overseas plant tours. From time to time, I will file news and other industry perspectives online and, as always, welcome your response to these Web postings.
