It’s time to start planning for the biannual High Point Market, which will host its 2019 spring edition April 6-10 in High Point, North Carolina. As the world’s largest furnishings industry trade show, the Market brings together tens of thousands of people each spring and fall.
Attendees take part in a weeklong event featuring exhibits, education, and networking. If you plan to attend the event this April, the following seven tips will help you get ready.
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Don’t Forget to Register
Before doing anything else, your first step should be to secure your Market pass by registering for the event online. Registration opened in early January 2019, and now is the time to sign up.
Keep in mind that High Point Market is only open to members of the furnishing and design trades. You’ll need to provide proof of occupation along with your current state identification in order to register.
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Make Travel Arrangements
When planning your trip, you’ll find that you have a number of transportation options for getting to the Market venue. You can take advantage of rental car discount codes from several agencies or try the local rail service from NC By Train.

Those who are flying into North Carolina can choose to land at one of three airports: Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO), Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), or Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT). GSO is the closest point of arrival, but all three airports are within 90 miles of the High Point area.
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Book Accommodations
With more than 75,000 people expected to attend the five-day Market event, it should come as no surprise that hotels in High Point, North Carolina, fill up fast. To ensure that you have a place to stay, book your accommodations sooner rather than later. You can find local hotel information on the Hotels page in the Plan Your Trip section of the High Point Market website.
Also, keep in mind that private home rentals are an option. A home rental may be a particularly good idea for those who are visiting the Market with a group. Visit the Private Home Rentals page on the Market website if you’re considering this option.
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Check Out Pre-Market Activities
There is a lot going on leading up to the main Market activities in April. Soon after opening registration for the event, Market organizers announced the New Product Premiere program. It will feature introductions of notable products via social media.
A weeklong social media campaign called Inspiration Week will kick off Monday, February 18. It will include product-focused posts from the 2019 Style Spotters, a group of eight design and home furnishings experts. As part of Inspiration Week activities, the 2019 Style Spotters Advisors, Shay Geyer and Gary Inman, will also hold a sneak peek webinar on February 21 at 1 p.m. EST.
Other lead-up activities to be aware of include a weeklong series on LuAnn Nigara’s popular A Well-Designed Business podcast. During the week’s podcasts, which begin on February 25, Nigara will interview designers and explore activities taking place during Spring Market. In early March, Market organizers will invite followers to join the new product discussion via Pinterest and other social media channels.
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Get the MyMarket Planning Tool
While enjoying the pre-Market activities, take a few minutes and sign up for MyMarket. With this online planning tool, you can use any Windows, MacOS, iOS, or Android device to quickly search for exhibitors and learn about all the educational and social events at the Market. The tool also gives you the ability to save selected showrooms and events to your personal Market plan.
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Schedule Appointments
Another way to ensure that you have a great Market experience is by setting up appointments with exhibitors in advance. The regular showroom hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday through Tuesday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

Fortunately, many exhibitors offer appointments for their showrooms outside of these published hours. Be sure to check the exhibitor list and reach out to those you’d like to meet with during the event.
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Use the Available Travel Services
If all this information about registering, making travel arrangements, and booking rooms has you feeling overwhelmed, you’ll be pleased to know that help is available. High Point Market has partnered with Travel Quest, Inc., to provide full-service travel planning.
Travel Quest is available to help you book a hotel, find a rental car, and reserve an airport shuttle without charge. For a nominal fee, the company will also help you with airline and rail service reservations.
Interested in learning more about how to prepare for the Spring 2019 High Point Market? You can find all the information you need at www.highpointmarket.org.