Midwest Furniture Club Announces Dates for Upcoming Furniture Show
Dates Announced for 13thAnnual Midwest Furniture Show
13thAnnual Show To Be Held September 17th,18thand 19th, 2019 in Niles IL
CHICAGO, IL April 19- The 2019 version of the Midwest Furniture Show is set for September 17th, 18th, and 19th. The Midwest Furniture Club is returning the event to the White Eagle Conference Center in Niles IL, a nearby suburb just north of Chicago.“We were very happy with our new venue last year,” says Allan Landau, the Show’s Coordinator for the fourth year. “Our customers like the fact that Niles is closer to Chicago than other locations” The Midwest Furniture Club produces the annual show.
Exhibitor sign up has already begun. “We’re off to a good start already,” says Landau. “Last year we ran out of space, so we’re trying to get back to our traditional vendor base and make sure they get their rental space reserved.”
The Show runs September 17th, 18thand 19th, 2019. Tuesday, September 17 will be a Preview Event running from 6 pm to 8:30 pm. On Wednesday September 18thand Thursday, September 19ththe Show opens at 8 am, closing at 6 pm on Wednesday and closing at 4 pm on Thursday.
Kirk Handley is the President of the Midwest Furniture Club. “This Show is something we do for our retailers in the Upper Midwest who don’t go to markets. We improve some things every year. We’re excited to try a Preview Event on Tuesday night to give our independent dealers another option to come work with us. We have some great traditions to welcome our returning attendees such as hosting a free lunch and drinks for attendees, as well as prize drawings, as well bringing in manufacturer’s and special deals for our customers. On Wednesday night, we will host a cocktail party for attendees and exhibitors to mingle.”
The Midwest Furniture Show is a regional furniture, bedding and accessories show that is run by the Midwest Furniture Club, the largest IHFRA chapter in the United States. Each year the show attracts around 25 exhibitors and 300 retailers from across the Upper Midwest.
“We love this show because 90% of our account base doesn’t travel to High Point or Las Vegas. This show drives a lot of business for us,” reports Ashley representative Geoff Weed. Weed is one of the original founders of the Midwest Furniture Show. He represents Ashley, one of the cornerstones of the Show. “We include marketing partners, our management, our new concepts and product lines and invite our entire account base to come and get deals. And we show it all: motion, stationary, bedroom, dining room, bedding, accessories, home office, entertainment and outdoor furniture. Our dealers appreciate it.”
“The goals of the show remain the same,” says Allen Landau, one of the Show’s co-coordinators. “We want all the retailers in Chicago and the upper Midwest markets to have the chance to see new furniture and accessories, see new lines, and talk with professionals in marketing, freight and back room operations. We come together to make their business more successful. The timing of the show is designed to help our furniture retailers and interior design community make the most of the fourth quarter and tax time 2017.”
“This is a working show. Exhibitors write business and retailers get to see a number of vendors in one quick day. They can eat breakfast at home and be back home for dinner,” says Handley.
“But we hope they stay all day. We will have coffee in the morning, a free lunch at noon and a social hour in the late afternoon of the 18th.”
The cost for exhibitors is remaining at $3.50 a square foot for spaces over 500 feet. A deposit of $2 a square foot is necessary to hold the reservation. Smaller spaces (under 500 feet) are available for service companies, advertising and marketing firms, transportation companies and accessory vendors at a rate of $4 per foot.
Space is still available for manufacturers or furniture service companies who want to participate. “For $3.50, our exhibitors get the whole package: rental space, marketing, pipe-and-drape and carpeting, a prime venue, free breakfast and lunch for exhibitors and attendees, access to many independent retailers in a major market, staging and storage assistance, and a lively social hour. Our only requirement, other than paying rent, is that each rental space have an active member of the Midwest Furniture Club in their space,” says Handley.
Anyone interested in attending or exhibiting can registerwww.midwestfurnitureshow.comor contact the Club at midwestfurnitureshow@gmail.com. Contact Allan Landau directly at 847-751-8279 with any questions. For updates follow us on Twitter at MidwestFurnShow, #midwestfurnitureshow or on Facebook.