by Strong attendance reported from large retailers, but international attendance is estimated to be down 10% based on preregistration figures
HIGH POINT — October High Point preregistrations were down just under 1% from April, according to information presented during the High Point Market Authority’s post-market meeting Wednesday.
With observers noticing traffic was down during the Oct. 25-29 market, the numbers indicate that things may not be as bad as some might have thought during the event.
“I think we are pleasantly surprised about attendance this market,” said Tammy Covington, president and chief executive officer of the High Point Market Authority. “With all of the macroeconomic issues that we are facing, we were all scratching our heads as to what we would see this market.”
The overall number includes preregistrations from the 300 largest buying companies, which was up 6.9%, compared with 2.9% for new buyers.
Registrations for non-stocking buyers, which includes designers, was up just over 1% compared to a 10% decrease for international buyers.
“It is no surprise that international numbers are down; however, the last three weeks and through registration, we have seen significant gains even in that segment. … That number was considerably higher a month ago,” Covington said.
She added that this market in general saw more later registrations than she can remember in her nearly 24 years with the market authority.
“They all waited until the last minute to decide if they were coming to this show,” she said, adding, “In the last few weeks it has been all hands on deck. … In those last three weeks, we were all answering calls. And it was this combination of, ‘It snuck up on me, or I didn’t know if I needed to come.’ But as I sit here today, I feel pretty positive about these numbers.”
