Attending the Las Vegas market for designers is such an incredible opportunity if you’re an interior designer. However, it can also be overwhelming or daunting trying to figure out what to schedule, where to stay and what to wear. After attending a few markets myself, I decided to put together my own Las Vegas Market guide as an interior designer!
There are so many things to consider such as what to wear, where to stay, how long to attend, which showroom to visit first and who to schedule an appointment with. I will break down all of my tips and what we did on our first trip versus our second trip as a design team. Throughout this post, I will discuss making appointments and how showrooms work, where to stay, what to wear and how food and drinks work!
Whether you own a design firm, own a store or offer some sort of design services, there is something for you here! Market is a wild ride but it is a great time if you take a laid back approach to it.
The important thing to remember is that you know your business needs better than anyone. You know what projects you are sourcing for, what connections need to be made and what you are needing from your vendors. Stay true to that and you will have an amazing time at the Las Vegas market!
Las Vegas Market Guide
Appointments + Showrooms
Many vendors will send out information on scheduling an appointment with your rep prior to market. While they can be very informative, they aren’t always necessary. If you are going to source new vendors and not necessarily purchase anything, then scheduling an appointment isn’t important. If you have a badge, you are able to enter any showroom as you find it. When you are scanned in, it will notify your rep and if they are available, they will come find you and introduce themselves.
If you are going to purchase, then scheduling an appointment will be very important. Many reps will walk the showroom with you and answer any questions that you have. They will work with you to ensure that you find exactly what you are looking for. They will work with you to get your cart full of all the items you want to purchase.
What I recommend…
The first time I went with the team that I currently work with, we didn’t make any appointments. It was my first time attending the Las Vegas market and I didn’t know what to expect. Our first trip was to source new vendors. We went on Monday and walked through all of one building. Then, on Tuesday and Wednesday, we walked through the other two buildings that had vendors we could use. We were able to open accounts, meet our reps and see all of the new introductions they were showcasing!
For our second trip this winter, we took a different approach. We had just attended the summer show and knew most of the showrooms that we wanted to visit. We decided to take Monday to walk around, see the showrooms and look for specific pieces for a few projects that we had. This also gave us the opportunity to meet some of our favorite designers and influencers in the industry. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we scheduled appointments with specific vendors that we either needed to set up an account with or to work specifically on something.
Scheduling Appointments
There are so many ways that you can approach the Las Vegas market. If you go once a year, it might be a good idea to walk through as many showrooms as you can and source what you are needing. Days one and two are very busy and filled with people. It’s easier to amble around without a filled schedule. If you want to make an appointment, I would recommend scheduling them on one of the later days. There are fewer people around and you get more of your rep’s attention.
One of the benefits of scheduling an appointment is getting 1:1 time with your rep. If you want to walk through the showroom and see all of the new products, then this is the perfect opportunity for that! Another benefit, if you schedule during lunch time, is a sit down lunch with your rep. We scheduled one of our most important meetings at 11:30 and had a plated lunch with our rep while 200 people stood in line for a buffet.
Another benefit to making an appointment is the chance to place any orders you want. We placed a few orders for projects and built carts with products we were sourcing for a project presentation. We discussed pricing, stock and the best part, we were able to see the pieces in person. Sourcing with your rep gives you the chance to ask as many questions as possible about potential products. You can see how something looks in person vs. the computer screen and how it feels and discuss everything with your rep.
Market App: “@Market And More”
An important thing to do before arriving to market is to download the @Market And More app. They created an app with all of your information and a way for you to document things throughout your time there.
One of my favorite features is the photo feature. You are going to see so many products and things that you love and want to remember. Half way through the day, you might have 50 pictures and start to lose track of where each one was taken. The app allows you to organize your photos by vendor which will be helpful when you go home and debrief. You can also put notes on individual pictures. This is very helpful when sourcing for multiple projects and keeping your thoughts organized.
If you plan to attend any seminars or classes, you can put it in your schedule and it will send you a reminder when the start time approaches. If you have any questions regarding schedules, dining options, parking options or even shuttle options, they have it all available in the app. You can create an entire schedule if you prefer to plan your days out.
Where To Stay
There are so many places that you can stay. I mean, obviously, IT’S VEGAS! But, it can be overwhelming to choose where to stay. You can choose the nicest hotel or you can stay in an airbnb. Ultimately it’s your decision! However, I highly recommend staying in a hotel on the strip. One of the biggest reasons, aside from all of the food, activities and sights to see, is that they have free shuttles that run every 15 minutes to and from market. This is extremely convenient since the World Trade Center is about 20 minutes away from the strip.
Hotels:
We stayed at New York New York both times I went. We chose to stay there because they had the best pricing both times we attended and it is in a good location on the strip. While New York New York wasn’t bad, I will warn you that the food service is pretty poor at this hotel. Our first visit had terrible service and we almost refused to go back. However, we stayed there the second time and decided to eat elsewhere since overall, the hotel wasn’t that bad!
On a previous trip, my boss and co-worker stayed at the MGM Grand and loved it! The food options here were amazing and the rooms were nice! Overall, when I walked through it, it was clean and felt upscale without being too over the top. When we rode the shuttle from New York New York to market, we shared a route with the MGM Grand. There were a large number of people that stayed at both hotels. Honestly, everyone stays all over the strip!
Airbnb:
Some people stay in a hotel off of the strip, others stay in an Airbnb. These aren’t bad options if you are planning to go back and work with your team or you want some peace and quiet away from the strip. However, you will have to accommodate for parking or Uber drives to and from market.
I personally don’t recommend this because I think it’s so much easier and cheaper to use the shuttle transportation. If you stay at an Airbnb, you have to pay and wait for an Uber at least twice a day. The complementary shuttles run every 15 minutes all day and services at almost every hotel. Plus, you have more safety while staying in the hotels than an airbnb. Las Vegas isn’t necessarily the safest city in the country and the surrounding areas of the World Trade Center aren’t the safest neighborhoods.
What to wear
The beauty of market is that there is someone of every style and age! You get to show up exactly how you want to! You will see people in heels and business professional outfits. Then, right behind them, you will see someone in a laid back, casual outfit and then someone somewhere in between. Market is all about expressing your style while being around thousands of people who love design.
I always try to wear fun outfits that represent my style but also offer comfort. I prefer jeans and a nice blouse or trendy shirt. I’ve linked a few of my outfits below to show what I’ve worn and how diverse my attire is for market.
Shoes..
One of the most important tips on this Las Vegas market guide is what shoes to wear. Wearing the wrong pair of shoes can drastically alter your day and ruin your market experience. If you love stylish shoes, that’s great! However, you have to treat market like you would going to Disney World.
You are going to walk through 3 different buildings with 15 floors each. Showroom after showroom, you will be walking from the moment you leave your hotel room until the minute you get back. It is important to make sure that your feet are well taken care of!
Food and Drinks!
When it comes to meals, you may be wondering, ‘what are the dining options?’. Meals can be all over the place and if you lose track of time, can be very easy to miss. Breakfast is on your own. Honestly, we found it to be easiest to order a breakfast sandwich from Starbucks at the hotel. We ordered them about 10-15 minutes before we left our room and grabbed them on our way out to the shuttle to eat on our way to market. Starting the day with food in your system will help your stamina greatly throughout the day since there will be constant walking and mingling.
A few showrooms will also offer coffee. Loloi is my favorite showroom to grab a latte from. They have a full functioning coffee bar to make a delicious cup of coffee. I have also seen coffee food trucks parked outside the entrance. You can grab a coffee and walk around slowly to begin your day!
Lunch
Lunch can be tricky but don’t fret! Many showrooms offer some sort of complementary lunch. It’s based on each company and what they prefer to offer. Some offer packaged meals, other’s hand out meal tickets that you can get from your rep and some offer a full blown buffet while others offer small snacks throughout the day. All of them are first come first serve. Many showrooms start serving lunch between 11:30-12:00. However, make sure you get there early so that you can ensure you get food before the run out!
Other options for lunch include food trucks outside. The Las Vegas market is incredible at bringing local vendors to provide coffee and food. They have different options daily and they offer a wide variety of choices. These are not free but a great option if you find yourself in need of food and don’t want to walk around the showrooms searching for food options.
Where to eat..
Some of the showrooms that I have eaten lunch at include Classic Home (meal ticket), Four Hands, Essentials For Living, and Moe’s (all first come first serve). Each one had delicious food and places for us to eat. However, like I said, many showrooms offer snacks and drinks throughout the day so if you get distracted and miss lunch, you can easily find food throughout the buildings!
Drinks!
One thing you will notice on day one is that there are a lot of opportunities for drinking. Many showrooms have an open bar or will be passing our curated cocktails or glasses of wine. It is a great time but it can also get dicey if you aren’t careful. Days one and two are the days that you will see the most alcohol. These are heavy buying days and everyone wants to wine and dine you, LITERALLY! As the week progresses, less and less alcohol is served because there are fewer people.
While I think there is nothing wrong with enjoying a nice cocktail throughout the day, I do have a few rules that I follow. Rule #1: for every drink I have, I drink a bottle of water. If I begin to feel a little tipsy, I grab a snack. You can bring your own snacks or grab them throughout the day and carry them in a bag throughout the day like I do! Rule #2: If we are buying anything, I don’t drink any alcohol until all purchases are complete. This way, I have a clear mind and nothing is impaired when business orders are being conducted.
Dinner
Market closes at 6:00pm so dinner is on your own. There are so many options, it’s overwhelming! We have had nights where we want to try something new and fun and other nights where we order room service. Each night might be different or feel different and that’s okay. If you want to eat at a fun or unique restaurant to celebrate or just experience Vegas, I would recommend making reservations in advance. Many of the nicer or more popular restaurants will have a long wait or no availability at all. It doesn’t matter if it’s a random Tuesday night, Vegas is always busy!
All hotels have plenty of dining options. If you want to take it easy and not put pressure on it, you can easily find a place at your hotel when you get back. Maybe walk around your first night there and take a look around. Look at what restaurants have a lot of people or find appealing and then look up their reviews. This is also a great chance to see if they tend to get busy and if you should make a reservation in advance.
Las Vegas Market Guide Recap
So, now that we have gone over scheduling appointments, visiting showrooms, what to wear and where to stay, you are ready to start planning your visit to market! The most important thing to remember is that no one knows the needs of your business better than you do. It is not necessary to make any purchases if you aren’t ready. You don’t have to meet with a rep if you don’t want to. You get to decide how your experience goes!
The best way to approach market is with an open mind. It is important to adjust your plans or expectations quickly if something comes up. There are so many resources that are offered through the Las Vegas market website if you have more questions or want to know more about what LVMK offers.
Market is a blast and chaotic and productive all at the same time. It will feel overwhelming at first but after a few hours, I guarantee you will begin to feel better and more at ease! With that, ENJOY MARKET!