Whether you’re attending High Point Market for the first time or returning as a seasoned veteran, the experience can be daunting. The sheer scale and possibilities, let alone the logistics and FOMO, are enough to make planning feel impossible.
One of the things we love most about Market, having attended for combined decades, is its choose-your-own-adventure nature. It can be many things at once: a sourcing trip, a place to connect with your community, a chance to discover new resources, an education in the business of design and even an opportunity to build relationships that extend far beyond Market week. What we’ve learned is that setting your intentions and making a strategic plan are just as important as packing comfy yet stylish shoes.
Start With a Clear Objective
If you go to Market with a plan to “see as much as possible,” you’ll never see as much as you would have liked. With hundreds of simultaneous events spread across more than 11.5 million square feet of showroom space, it is an impossible feat.
Instead, identify one or two priorities for the season and build your schedule around them. A schedule focused on sourcing will look very different from one built around making connections. You can certainly accomplish more than one goal, but your primary purpose should inform which showrooms, programs, events and meetings make the calendar.
This is especially important for designers who have been attending Market for years. It is far too easy to revisit familiar favorites or attend popular events with friends, but doing so can lead to missed opportunities. Your business evolves every year, and your Market strategy should too.
Do Your Sourcing Homework
With more than 2,000 exhibitors, High Point Market is unlike any other trade show, and one of the greatest benefits of attending is discovering new vendors. When sourcing through local trade showrooms or from behind a computer screen, it is easy to default to your comfort zone. We recommend using Market to find inspiration and discover new resources that keep your projects fresh and varied.
Actively working on projects? Make a list of what you’re looking for and be as specific as possible. If it exists in the world, it is likely at High Point Market!
Brand research is also key to an intentional itinerary. Most brands showcase their latest collections online in advance of High Point Market, so be sure to do some digital browsing ahead of time. From there, broaden your horizons. If there is a brand you routinely source, look into manufacturers working at a similar quality level, aesthetic or price point. Market is one of the best opportunities to expand your resource library while still leaving room to be surprised.
Pro tip: You’ll probably take dozens, if not hundreds, of photos throughout Market. Snap a photo of the showroom name before you enter. It will make things much easier later when you inevitably find yourself asking, “Where did I see this sofa?”
Keep in mind that collecting inspiration is just as important as collecting fabric swatches. You may not have an immediate need, but discovering new products and vendors exposes you to different materials, proportions, color combinations and styling ideas that could have just as much impact on your future projects.
Learn From Fellow Designers
Approximately 75,000 people attend High Point Market each season, bringing with them a wealth of knowledge and experience. Interior designers from different backgrounds, regions, disciplines and specialties converge alongside buyers, media and exhibitors, all for the love of design.
There are seemingly endless panels, roundtables, tours and programs for designers, all offering practical, actionable advice. Topics range from profitability and legacy planning to marketing in the AI era and how to land a book deal. Choosing sessions based on topics relevant to your current business needs will usually be more valuable than selecting the panel with the most recognizable names.
We also highly recommend joining one of the many designer-led tours. They are not just for newcomers navigating the vast Market campus. A tour gives you the opportunity to see Market through someone else’s eyes and can open yours to what is possible. For repeat attendees, breaking the routine that naturally develops after years of attending may prove to be your most valuable move.
Treat Networking as a Business Goal
There are almost as many parties as there are showrooms, with food and drink flowing at nearly every one. They are designed to encourage connection and conversation. Whether you set out to or not, you will meet and speak with many people during Market.
Some of those conversations may lead to ideas or opportunities you would not have encountered otherwise. A little pre-planning can help you capitalize on them. If one of your goals is to expand your personal brand, seek out conversations or appointments with people who might support that goal.
Perhaps there is a manufacturer you would love to work with more closely or an editor you’ve been dying to get your work in front of. Plan your showroom visits and program schedule around who you want to meet, then come prepared to explain what you could bring to the relationship.
Equally, if not more importantly, follow up with intention. After meeting so many people, it is up to you to stand out and build on the connection that began at Market.
Leave Some Wiggle Room
An intentional Market itinerary needs structure, logistical planning and clear goals, but it should never be so full that there is no room for discovery. You may be invited to a last-minute event or learn about a new vendor that was not on your must-see list. Keeping enough flexibility to take advantage of those opportunities is key.
That spontaneity, and the magic that can happen when you embrace it, is part of what keeps Market valuable season after season.
High Point Market has changed dramatically since we first started attending, and the design industry has changed right along with it. Now that we are exhibitors ourselves, we understand the incredible impact Market can have on your business, relationships and creative development from a whole new perspective.
With more ways to run your firm and gain visibility, and more resources competing for your attention than ever before, taking a strategic approach to how you show up matters. A successful Market does not necessarily mean seeing the most. It means leaving with exactly what you came for, and perhaps a few things you did not know you needed.
