MONTREAL - G. Romano will exhibit for the first time at the Las Vegas furniture market currently scheduled to run from 24 to 28 July, 2006.

The contemporary upholstery specialist will set-up in the temporary spaces at the Las Vegas Convention Center, which are organized by the World Market Centre.

"The Las Vegas market definitely has legs and the organizers efforts to market the show have been impressive," said Rick Lovegrove, the company's director of sales and design. "We have a growing percentage of our client base that already have or plan to attend Vegas and they want to see us there. As a smaller manufacturer, showing in the temporary exhibits allow us to test the waters in Las Vegas while being able to maintain our presence in High Point.

While Lovegrove doesn't believe Las Vegas will replace the High Point market, he thinks the competition between the markets will intensify. "Once a few more permanent buildings are up that story may change," he said.

Romano's niche is in the design and production of upholstery for urban living spaces such as condominiums and lofts where rooms often serve many functions.

"These open concept spaces often have the dining area and sometimes even the bedroom exposed to the living area, and our fashion conscious customer is looking to create a color story throughout the home," Lovegrove said. "Our new dining and bed collections allow the consumer and retailer to do so by offering the same 200-plus fabric choices for our upholstery collections."

Romano will use the Las Vegas market to launch several new product categories including upholstered beds and dining chairs. "We will be showing several new categories such as these for the first time in Las Vegas," Lovegrove said.

G. Romano currently exhibits at the Canadian Home Furnishings Market in Toronto each January and has a permanent showroom at Market on Green in High Point.