Anyone who's ever been to High Point Market knows that the best intentions often fall through. You may have plans to visit 10 showrooms, but in reality, you can really only make it to four of them. You know there are speakers you want to hear, but one longer visit at a showroom can throw your whole schedule off track.
While there's only so much you can do to stay focused when you arrive at High Point Market, you can help yourself by doing a little prep work ahead of time. These minor tasks can save you time and move faster from showroom to showroom.
Here are the four tasks you need to accomplish before hitting the spring High Point Market.
Review sales of the October market's purchases
This may be the most consuming step, but it's a vital one to complete. Before you set foot at High Point Market, you need to go over your previous purchases from the October market to see what sold and — more importantly — what didn't. Go over your purchase orders and any notes from your previous return from market.
The goal here is to get a clearer idea of what your customers want and what styles aren't jiving with them. If you stocked a ton of Mid-Century Modern-inspired products, but your customers seemed to prefer the Modern Farmhouse look, then you won't feel tempted to wander over to more Mid-Century sections of showrooms. If one category ended up being an unexpected bestseller, then you might consider adding a few more products in that style to meet that demand. On the flip side, if one style is declining in popularity, then you'll know to lay off and start looking for something new.
Additionally, take a look at your returns since the last market and see if they tell you anything about the manufacturer. If you received a few returns of products from one manufacturer, maybe consider stocking less of their products, especially if those products were returned because of defects.
Order additional phone and tablet chargers
How many times have you had to stop what you were doing at High Point Market and find a spot to charge your phone? Or maybe you've called it quits earlier than you would have liked to because all of your electronics are about dead. Service in IHFC can be difficult and draining on a phone battery, and as you will probably want to post photos to social media and text others at market, you need to know your phone is as pumped as you are.
If you don't already have one, invest in a good portable charger for your phone and tablet (if you use one). You can charge your phone wherever you are, and you won't need to be on the lookout for wall sockets everywhere you go. These portable chargers are usually slim, so they will fit easily into your bag, and as long as you have your device charger cord, you'll be able to charge your phone no matter what's going.
Of course, some chargers are better than others, so look for a quality brand. If possible, try to find a charger that can do more than just one charge-up per use. That way, you and anyone you're traveling with can change phones without worry.
Portable chargers themselves do need to be charged, so remember to charge them every night when you're at market.
Make a list of must-see events
If you're taking the time to travel to High Point Market for a few days, then taking in a few events and seminars is a must. The market will be hosting a ton of great speakers and continuing education seminars on design, digital marketing and retail, and if you're serious about growing your business, it's definitely worth taking in at least three seminars.
Of course, showrooms all over High Point Market will be hosting their own events too, so how do you keep it all straight? Easy: the High Point Market app.
Once you sign in, go to the Events tab at the bottom and choose a day to browse the events going on. The book symbol represents a seminar or speaker, and the three-people symbol represents a networking event such as a lunch or cocktail party. Select a seminar to get all the details — speaker names, locations, times — and if you want to go to that seminar, hit the Star symbol at the top-right side of the app screen. This will save it to your schedule, which you can access at MyMarket on the bottom bar of the screen.
While you're at it, punch in the showrooms on your must-visit list and save them to MyMarket. The showroom listings will have the building names and showroom numbers on them, so you'll spend less time trying to remember where to go and more time moving around High Point Market.
For a full list, head to HighPointMarket.org and remember to download the app.
Budget some roaming time for your visit
You have your list of must-visits, but part of the point of visiting High Point Market is to find new manufacturers and designs to wow your customers and clients. If you're only limiting yourself to a handful of showrooms, you may be missing out on some great products and potential partnerships.
As you're finalizing your plans, set aside a few hours to explore a new building or floor that you previously skipped. If you only make it up to Floor 5 in IHFC, plan for an hour of touring Floor 6 or 7. If you never make it out to 200 Steele, give yourself a few hours to explore the showrooms there and make some new connections. Even if you don't buy anything, it's good to start nurturing those relationships. You never know what might change in the future, and you'll already have the foundation laid out in case circumstances change.
Are you as excited about High Point Market as we are? Share with us in the comments.
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