MISSISSAUGA, Ontario – All exhibitors at this year’s Canadian Furniture Show (CFS), which opens at the International Centre here on the morning of 24 May for its three-day run, will be automatically entered into the organiser’s fourth annual Booth Awards program, whose goal is to salute excellence in the creation of inspiring displays featuring their product.

This year, a new four-member jury panel will evaluate the exhibits as they did last year, dividing them into eight categories, including:

Best Booth: best overall booth in 2019 – this has to be a show stopper, a booth everyone is talking about. Last year, this went to a first-time exhibitor – AICEP Portugal, which was promoting furniture made in that country.

Best Visual Display: a visual display at the front of the booth or a central display highlighting new products or best-selling products.

Best Use of Colour: use of colour to attract attention or to create major impact: colour blocking, graphics, staff clothing or other elements that liven up the display.

Best Use of Space: will be given to the booth that incorporates elements such as guest seating; refreshments zones; meeting tables; or charging stations that don’t impede traffic flow or product display while having visual appeal.

Best New Exhibitor: this will be given to the first-time exhibitor that goes above and beyond to create an impactful, well displayed and well branded space.

Best Design: given to the trendiest and most design-oriented booth.

Best Traffic Builder: this will be given to the exhibitor hosting an activity inside the booth used to drive traffic such as a contest, game, celebrity, performer, artist, virtual-reality experience, giveaway or educational component.

Best International Design Centre showroom: this will be given to the ‘must visit’ permanent showroom located in the TIDC annex of the International Centre.

The organisers have assembled a jury of four Toronto-based decorators, including:

Maureen Weigen-Liebovitz, owner of Decorating Vision, a Markham, Ontario-based firm that provides for decorating and staging services. She also the serving president of the Toronto chapter of the Decorating & Design Association of Canada (DDA).

Lindsey Foster von Kalben is the principal of FVK Design, also based in Markham. She also sits on the board of directors for the DDA Toronto chapter.

Sharon MacIntosh is an accredited decorator and stager working with real estate agents and homeowners in the Toronto market.

Lauren Kosowan is the owner of Styled Interiors and sits on the board of the DDA’s Toronto chapter.

The panel will tour the show floor on the opening day of CFS and the winners will be announced on the morning of Saturday, 25 May 2019.

Click here for more information about the CFS Booth Awards program. The show’s web site can be found here: canadianfurnitureshow.com

Related Story: AICEP Portugal wins CFS best booth award

HIGH POINT, North Carolina – The International Textile Alliance (ITA) has revised the dates of Showtime in a move it believes will better align the twice-yearly trade event with the industry’s product introduction and buying cycles. However, the dates for the upcoming 2019 summer market remained unchanged.

The new schedule will begin with the 2019 winter market, which has been moved up and will start its four-day run on 17 November. Next year, the summer trade event will be held from 17 to 20 May; and will be followed by the winter show from 15 to 18 November.

This year’s summer market will be held, as previously scheduled, from 02 to 05 June.

“ITA continues to watch, listen and learn about the industry’s changing business environment since it is our role to serve our members and the marketplace they represent,” ITA executive director Brian Casey said in making the announcement.

“We have learned that there is more pressure on furniture manufacturers to meet a shorter lead time with their new product introductions. This has placed greater pressure on our members to deliver product sooner – so it is incumbent upon ITA to find ways to better serve these changing needs for our members and their customers,” he added.

Showtime has traditionally been held the week after two important holidays in the United States – Thanksgiving for the winter event and Memorial Day for the spring. Casey said after careful analysis, ITA’s board of directors voted unanimously to move the dates to the week before Thanksgiving and the week before Memorial Day.

The date changes are also the result of ongoing discussions the association had with its own members.

“As we talked to ITA members, we learned that the former schedule was no longer meeting the current needs of many,” noted board president Ismail Arslan, who is also vice president of business development for De Leo Textiles. “While we knew it would be impossible to find dates that would satisfy everyone, we also felt we owed it to the industry to gather as many viewpoints as possible. The schedule reflects input we received from our members and representatives from all segments of the industry.”

In conjunction with the new dates, Showtime organisers have also revised the hours of operation for the temporary spaces in the Suites at Market Square. Beginning with the November event, market will continue to open Sunday at 10am, however, the temporary floor spaces will open Monday and Tuesday from 8am to 6pm; and, Wednesday from 8am to 4pm.

According to its organisers, Showtime offers the most comprehensive fabric, leather and trim presentations to manufacturers from across North America. ITA member companies host more than 800 buying companies during each event. Typical exhibitors schedule an average of 100+ appointments during the week, making the market a strategic and cost-effective venue for showing and viewing fabrics.

For more information, visit the event’s web site at: http://internationaltextilealliance.org/showtime/

WINNIPEG – Full-line furniture resource Palliser will launch a new collection of both case goods and upholstery at the upcoming spring edition of the High Point Market created in collaboration with Canadian designer and television personality Sarah Richardson. It’s the company’s first-ever collaboration with a celebrity designer.

The spring edition of the market kicks off its usual five-day run on 06 April.

In a statement, the company said the collaboration will combine the accessibility and elegance that make up Richardson’s signature aesthetic with Palliser’s quality and craftsmanship.

Sarah Richardson for Palliser is comprised of four themed collections – each includes dining, bedroom and occasional pieces alongside made-to-order upholstery in a wide selection of fabrics and leathers curated by Richardson. A true turn-key solution, each collection is designed to fit together seamlessly and includes a broad range of decorative rugs, throws and accent pillows that unite to create her signature style in any room.

Annex, a collection designed for the modern family, showcases natural wood tones, ash burl, and vintage-inspired details.

The sophisticated Boulevard gives a nod to art deco with rich walnut and indigo accents that will resonate with the urban dweller.

Shore is quintessentially Richardson – light, bright, and full of feminine elegance, its handwoven rattan, linen-cast resin and brass details evoke coastal living.

For city living, Vista takes a bold approach to luxury with crisp geometric veneer patterning, contemporary hardware, a palette of fog and oyster wood finishes and deep splashes of red and tangerine.

“Palliser will celebrate its 75th anniversary this year and launching Sarah Richardson for Palliser feels like a great way to mark this milestone,” Palliser president and chief executive officer Peter Tielmann said. “Sarah shares our passion for details and quality and working with her was a true partnership. For over a year she collaborated closely with our team leading the design concepts, selecting the materials and textiles and spending time at our manufacturing facilities here in Canada and in Indonesia. We brought her vision to life leveraging our broad range of manufacturing expertise and the high-quality craftsmanship that we’re known for.”

Sarah Richardson for Palliser is the company’s first partnership with an outside designer and signifies a new chapter for family-owned and operated furniture resource.

Tielman said the line showcases Palliser’s diverse capabilities and presents a fresh take on the company’s core strengths, such as motion furniture, leather and wood case pieces. Believed to be Canada’s largest furniture manufacturer, Palliser will continue to design and produce case goods and made-to-order upholstered pieces for its current retail customers.

“I want everyone to live in style and love their home,” Richardson says. “We’ve made it fun and easy to bring designer style to your home at an affordable price point. Partnering with Palliser has allowed me to share my creative vision and signature style in a way that celebrates quality, design and value.”

Sarah Richardson is the host and co-producer of eight HGTV lifestyle series which are seen in over 100 countries. She is also principal of the Toronto-based Sarah Richardson Design and a brand ambassador for Monogram appliances and Marcelle Cosmetics. She is also the author of two bestselling books for Simon & Schuster, Sarah Style and At Home: Sarah Style.

The Sarah Richardson for Palliser collection will be ready for shipping to retailer beginning in September. It will also have its own web presence at sarahrichardson.palliser.com.

Richardson will be present in Palliser’s showroom – located on the top floor of 220 Elm – from 04 to 08 April.

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LONDON, Ontario – A record number of nominations have been received for the 2019 edition of the Retail Sales Professional Awards (RSPA) which are now closed, its organisers have announced. There have also been three new additions to the jury panel.

“Congratulations to the many sales professionals in the home furnishings industry who have been recognised by their peers, associates, and managers as leaders who consistently deliver exceptional sales and service and as a result have been nominated to be a recipient of a 2019 Retail Sales Professional (RSP) Award,” Brad Geddes, president of presenting sponsor Zucora Home said in a statement.

He added there were a significant increase in the number of nominations received for this year’s program, the third annual. Recipients will be announced in early April and will be presented to the industry at this year’s Canadian Home Furnishings Awards gala which is set for the evening of 24 May 2019 at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario.

The jury will select four regional RSPA recipients; one each from Atlantic Canada, Central Canada; the Prairies and the Pacific Region. One will also be recognised as Canada’s National Retail Sales Professional for 2019. All will be profile by Home Goods Online.

Three new judges will join the panel this year. They are David Cohn, national sales director for Zucora Home; John Power, general manager of sales and strategic development for Mega Group; and, Raffaele Laserra, assistant vice president of home furnishings for Cantrex Nationwide. They join Corrie-Ann Knell, HGO director of sales and marketing on the jury.

The RSP Awards presenting sponsor is Zucora Home, the home service plan specialist based in London, Ontario. The supporting sponsors include HGO; the Canadian Home Furnishings Alliance; and, the Canadian Furniture Show.

For tickets to attend the gala, or for more information, contact CHFA president Murray Vaughan by telephone at (905) 678-4678 or by e-mail at [email protected].

“It’s great to see that our industry is so well represented and in such good hands on the sales floor across Canada,” Geddes said.

To learn more about the program, visit its web site at rspawards.com.

Related Story: Nominations for 2019 RSP Awards now being accepted
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