by CHICAGO — Regional trade shows have long been a staple in the home furnishings sector and one such example is the Midwest Furniture Show, which just announced the dates for its 17th annual event.
Established by the Midwest Furniture Club, this year’s show is set for Sept. 18-19 at the White Eagle Convention Center in Niles, Illinois.
The Midwest Furniture Show is a regional furniture, bedding and accessories show that is run by the Midwest Furniture Club, one of the largest IHFRA chapters in the United States.
Each year, the show attracts hundreds of retailers and designers from the Chicagoland and Upper Midwest markets.
The Midwest Furniture Club is accepting applications for the limited available space, according to Allan Landau, who has spearheaded the furniture show for the past five years. “We’re back!” said Landau. “And this year, we have more new and fresh vendors than we have had in a while. It feels like the Covid years have opened a lot of opportunity for new lines to come in.”
Brent Jones, a senior marketing specialist at Ashley Furniture and current president of the Midwest Club, has been working with Landau and others to present a new and improved version of the show. “We have a lot of folks — from our parent organization at IHFRA to new vendors to new customers — excited to have a place to come and really examine their business and consult with their business partners to navigate retail in an era of social media, online selling and inflation. The Midwest Furniture Show has become that place.”
In addition to anchors like Magic Sleep, CasaMode, MDA rugs and Ashley, the show is expected to attract new vendors such as New Classic, ProtectAll and Sleeptone.
“Some of our vendors such as Ashley and Magic Sleep have supported the show since its infancy. Recently, marketing companies, tech companies and online resources have showed, helping our local independent furniture stores compete and evolve,” said Landau.
Geoff Weed is one of the original founders of the Midwest Furniture Show and still works on presenting the show yearly. “The original concept for this show was simple. Since 95% of the accounts in our territories don’t go to market, it made sense for us to bring the market to them. Over the years, these customers have benefited from market specials, interaction with brand managers and the chance to see new lines they are not currently buying. We see way more accounts at this show than we do High Point or Las Vegas,” Weed said.
“This is a working show. Exhibitors write business and retailers get to see a number of vendors over two days. They can eat breakfast at home and be back home for dinner,” says Landau.
“But we hope they stay all day. We will have coffee in the morning, a free lunch at noon and a social hour Wednesday afternoon of the 18th.”
“It’s a labor of love, with many IHFRA reps contributing to the Midwest furniture community,” says Jones. “Many members of our organization volunteer each year, helping with check-in or planning or clean-up. Our group is at heart a service organization for the Upper Midwest furniture community.”
Anyone interested in attending or exhibiting can register at www.midwestfurnitureclub.com or contact Geoff Weed at 312-305-6421.
