by Masks will be required inside showrooms in accordance with Guilford County mask mandate
HIGH POINT – The sponsors of Premarket have announced a list of protocols for the Sept. 13-14 event that includes the wearing of masks in accordance with Guilford County, N.C., Covid guidelines.
While visitors will have to wear masks inside showrooms, event sponsors said that no temperature checks will be necessary. Sponsors, however, have been urged to offer boxed lunches or meals that are pre-prepared versus buffet-style meals typically served at individual showrooms.
In addition, the Monday night dinner at Grandover will also be a “To Go” picnic dinner versus the typical buffet-style dinner held prepandemic. Tables will be set up in the courtyard where retailers can enjoy their meals.
While not all product is expected to be at Premarket due to shutdowns in Vietnam and Malaysia, officials say there will be additional product for them to see in October, a reason that event organizers are encouraging dealers to attend both events if possible.
At this time, attendance appears to be in line with prepandemic premarkets, with 100-150 dealers expected to attend, Doug Bassett, chairman of the Premarket sponsors committee, told Home News Now.
“Based on the number of people that have registered, this is what we expect,” he said. “It is more in line with a typical premarket.”
He said that some dealers indicated they may not come to High Point until the Oct. 16-20 market as they are “marketed-out” having attended some 5-6 markets over the last 15 months, including the most recent June market.
He said that in October, there also may be more clarity on what to expect related to shutdowns that have occurred in Malaysia and Vietnam starting in late May to mid-July, respectively and continuing into the month of September.
“Hopefully those countries will start reopening by October,” Bassett said, adding that while dealers will be interested in new product, they will continue to seek information on “what each vendor will have and when they can get it so they can line up their plans for the fall.”
With an estimated two-thirds of all bedroom coming from Vietnam and Malaysia, he said, the shutdowns have created an unusual supply chain challenge. This ultimately could impact what is available for the fall selling season.
