IMC Explores Trends and Business Education at Spring 2022 High Point Market

International Market Centers (IMC) presents actionable business-building and trend information in some 18 DesignOn HPMKT by IMC seminars, tours and events, collectively offering 10 CEUs, for the Spring 2022 High Point Market, April 2-6, 2022.

“For many designers, educational opportunities are a compelling extension of the High Point Market sourcing experiences,” said Dorothy Belshaw, IMC executive vice president, chief customer and marketing officer. “This season, we are focused on helping designers grow their businesses with content from our proprietary TrendWatch presentation and tour as well as panel discussions and presentations on showhouses, branding, staffing and more.”

Aesthetics and Acumen

As an additional connection between IMC’s physical and digital markets, JuniperMarket, the new B2B wholesale marketplace powered by IMC, sponsors some 14 at-market programs taking place April 2-5 in the DesignOn HPMKT by IMC Seminar Room, located on the top floor of the Suites at Market Square (SAMS).

Two trend-focused programs are anchored by IMC’s proprietary TrendWatch program, which gives an inside look at leading trends shaping the home furnishings industry as showcased by IMC’s High Point Market exhibitors in vignettes, a guide, an interactive website, a tour and seminar.  “TrendWatch: Spring 2022 – LIVE at Market!” with curator Julie Smith Vincenti of Nine Muses Media in Naperville, Ill. presents an image-rich presentation at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 2. Global Trend Ambassador Patti Carpenter of carpenter + company in New York explores emerging international trends in color, print, surface design and materials in “Real, Rooted and Rejuvenated: Contemplating the Future – Connecting the Past” on Sunday, April 3.

Some eight business education sessions, including CEU-accredited panel discussions and presentations over four days, cover the top-of-mind topics for designers about how to promote and grow their brands. “Product Design: Livability vs Luxury” on Saturday, April 2 at 11:00am features Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Co in Winter Park, Fla.; Barry Goralnick of Goralnick Architecture & Design in New York; Jay Jeffers of JayJeffers Inc. in San Francisco; Keia McSwain of Kimberly and Cameron Interiors in Denver and BIDN (Black Interior Designers Network) and Jill Waage, editor in chief of Traditional Home in conversation about product development.

“Kips Bay: Demystifying the Industry-Leading Showhouse” on Sunday, April 3 at 11:00 a.m. is an in-depth conversation about the creation of spaces meant to inspire, astonish and most importantly benefit the incredible work of the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club with Traci Connell of Traci Connell Interiors in Dallas and Chris Goddard of Goddard Design Group in Springdale, Ark. moderated by Corey Damen Jenkins of Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates in New York.  “Rebranding: A Fresh Start is Just the Right Thing!” on Sunday, April 3 at 3:30 p.m. features four designers — Ariene Bethea of Dressing Rooms Interiors in Charlotte, N.C.; Shayla Copas of Shayla Copas Lifestyle in Little Rock, Ark.; Zandy Gammons of Miretta Interiors in Raleigh, N.C.; and Rhonda Peterson of GiGi & Rho and Rhonda Peterson Interiors in Atlanta – exploring what brought them to a place of changing their direction, audience, business model and business names in conversation with Susannah Charbin, founder of creative agency The Beaux Arts in New York.

“Building a Talented Team to Grow Your Profits & Keep Your Sanity” on Monday, April 4 at 11:00am is a presentation on effective staffing by interior design coach Melissa Galt. “The Science of Design” on Monday, April 4, 1:30pm explores how beauty and design improve health with a special focus on the science of proper lighting with Mike Peterson, president of Visionary Design Marketing in Boca Raton, Fla. and Linda Kafka of Toronto, principal for Living Canada and the LivABLE Design Summit. “Broadening Your Business” on Monday, April 4, 3:30pm features designers Jeanne K. Chung of Cozy•Stylish•Chic in Pasadena, Calif.; Christa O’Leary of Home in Harmony Lifestyle in Hingham, Mass.; Martha Schneider of La Maison in Raleigh, N.C.; and Christopher Todd of Christopher Todd Design in Henderson, Nev. exploring integrating seemingly unaffiliated fields into one business model in order to achieve new unique services in a panel discussion moderated by Krissa Rossbund, style editor for Traditional Home.

“From the East Coast to the West Coast” on Tuesday, April 5, 11:30am presents designers Lauren Nicole of Lauren Nicole Designs in Charlotte, N.C.; Keia McSwain of Kimberly and Cameron Interiors in Denver and BIDN (Black Interior Designers Network) and Katie Wozniak of Katherine Elizabeth Designs in Barrington Hills, Ill. in discussion about the challenges and solutions that have impacted the design community of late with writer, media director, author and founder of Collected By Court, Courtney Porter. “A Future Outlook for the Home Furnishings Business” on Tuesday, April 5, 2:00pm is led by Mike Rittler, general manager of Retail Card Services, Personal Lending and Business Development for TD Bank, sharing his outlook on key drivers and considerations for retail executives this season.

Exclusive Tours and Book Signings

DesignOn HPMKT by IMC’s celebrated tours feature six guides leading four tours for Spring 2022. The TrendWatch Tour led by Vincenti on Sunday, April 3, 2:30pm adds an additional stop on its 90-minute tour, ending at the JuniperMarket Experience Center after touring the TrendWatch displays in the Suites at Market Square Lobby, the walkway between IHFC and Showplace near the Transportation Terminal and IHFC Green Lobby. The one-hour Suite Spot Tours showcase favorite finds of Everick and Lisa Brown, of Everick Brown Design in New York on Saturday, April 2, 2:30pm; Jeanne K. Chung of Cozy•Stylish•Chic in Pasadena, Calif. on Sunday, April 3, 12:30pm; and Rhonda Peterson of GiGi & Rho and Rhonda Peterson Interiors in Atlanta with daughter Gillian Peterson on Monday, April 4, 12:30pm.

Buyers will have the opportunity to meet four design tastemakers who are also authors at a series of book signings throughout market. Shayla Copas signs Four Seasons of Entertainingon Sunday, April 3, 4:30pm. Melissa Galt signs Marketing Luxury Design on Monday, April 4 at noon. Christa O’Leary signs Home in Harmony on Monday, April 4 at 4:30pm. Courtney Porter signs Green Interior Design: The Guide to Sustainable High Style on Tuesday, April 5, 12:30pm.

Additional Programming from Industry Organizations

IMC also hosts programming for industry organizations. The Home Furnishings Associationpresents 15 seminars in its HFA Retailer Resource Center in Plaza Suites with topics including marketing, visual merchandising, omnichannel sales, the salesforce and industry trends running April 2-4. IMC also supports the WithIt Spring Education Breakfastpresented by Myriad Software on Monday, April 4 in the IHFC-Green Wing, 11th floor International Ballroom.

Additional session information and registration – which is recommended – is at IMCHighPointMarket.com/webinars-and-events.

About High Point Market

High Point Market is the largest furnishings industry trade show in the world, with more than 2,000 manufacturers in 11.5 million square feet of showroom and exhibit space in multiple buildings in downtown High Point, North Carolina. Each Market attracts tens of thousands of retail home furnishings buyers, interior designers, architects, and others in the home furnishings industry. International Market Centers (IMC) owns 17 prime High Point Market showroom buildings, which contain 70 percent of the exhibitors, including the majority of the top 500 manufacturers. DesignOnHPMKT by IMC is the official voice for IMC’s High Point Market representing a wealth of industry knowledge and connections. Spring 2022 Market is scheduled for April 2-6, 2022. Registration for the Spring 2022 High Point Market is open now at HighPointMarket.org. For more information, visit IMCHighPointMarket.com.

About International Market Centers

 International Market Centers (IMC) serves as the center of commerce for the wholesale furniture, gift, home decor and apparel industries. With more than 20 million square feet of premium wholesale showroom space in High Point, N.C., Las Vegas and Atlanta, IMC has more than 60 years of relationships and experience creating scalable business platforms for wholesale commerce. With the launch of Juniper, a fully integrated omnichannel B2B commerce solution and multiline B2B e-commerce marketplace empowering buyers and sellers to better manage and grow their business at markets and year-round, IMC now provides the only omnichannel sales and marketing platform that seamlessly connects physical and digital wholesale commerce. For more information, visit www.imcenters.com.