Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. announced the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market, which will be held Sept. 17-20, 2013, at the Chicago Merchandise Mart.

International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market announces September show schedule

Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI) announced the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market, which will be held Sept. 17-20, 2013, at the Chicago Merchandise Mart, will host several innovative shopping areas, including the much-anticipated redesigned casual showroom floors, temporary exhibitors in the Market Suites, Garden Accessories Courtyard, New Products Gallery, and a collective New Exhibitor Showcase. These areas will complement the Casual Market’s comprehensive exhibition of the trade’s top manufacturers, state-of-the-art product introductions, and a complete range of new furniture and accessories for outdoor living.


The Casual Market, endorsed and sponsored by the International Casual Furnishings Association, is a four-day trade show that provides retailers with an outlet to find all things related to outdoor and casual living. It is 100 percent dedicated to the outdoor furnishings industry and encompasses 350,000 square feet of new and improved exhibit space with more than 45 permanent showrooms and more than a hundred temporary exhibitors in the Market Suites.


This year, the Casual Market is set to officially debut its two new dedicated casual showroom floors. On both floors 15 and 16, attendees will be introduced to a better and more easily accessible shopping experience. The two redesigned floors and many renovated showrooms will allow retailers, buyers, dealers, and designers to view new outdoor seating collections, dining sets, and display vignettes that offer product demonstrations and merchandising ideas.


More than 20 showrooms relocated during the past year to new spaces on the 15th and 16th floors. Since this transition, some showrooms have expanded their new spaces. Poly-Wood, Inc. will debut its newly redesigned showroom expansion and Gensun Casual Living will be unveiling its expanded and relocated showroom on the 16th floor. The Merchandise Mart also welcomed three new permanent showrooms, including Mamagreen USA, Panama Jack Outdoor and Samsonite Outdoor Furniture / Aria.


“The September Casual Market is the first time the majority of buyers and designers will see the new redesigned and dedicated casual floor plan, which has been designed to give attendees the ability to easily navigate through showrooms more efficiently,” says Jaclyn Kelly, senior director of marketing for the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market / MMPI.


By popular request, the 2013 Casual Market will again also feature the Garden Accessories Courtyard. This 10,000 square-foot-area located on the Northwest side of the 8th floor Market Suites, is dedicated to showcasing new accessories. The Garden Accessories Courtyard is home to exhibitors highlighting decorative outdoor accessories, lighting, hearth products, tabletop items, rugs, pottery, statuary, and much more.


New and returning temporary exhibitors in the 8th Floor Market Suites will display their product innovations and collections in an advanced look at 2014 options. From casual furniture, umbrellas and fire pits to outdoor kitchen appliances, fabric options, and a variety of accessories, the Market Suites are slated to include plentiful resources for all retailers’ inventories and designers’ specifications.


“Since the Chicago Merchandise Mart is the casual industry’s leader in product exhibition and permanent showrooms, the combination of these display areas creates a broader range of purchasing opportunities for retailers, buyers and dealers,” says Kelly.


While the Casual Market’s New Product Gallery has always been known for revealing select product debuts and new exhibitors on the 1st floor of the Chicago Merchandise Mart, a cohesive New Exhibitor Showcase also will be featured on the 8th floor. Those in attendance will have the ability to discover new exhibitors along the main aisle on floor 8 of the Market Suites. A signage wall-display will provide a colorful glimpse of new exhibitors’ product photos as attendees enter the floor from the elevators. Select new exhibitors include Big Green Egg, Lounge Factory, Outdura, Desert Steel, and Outdoor Interiors, LLC.


Show-goers will have the ability to gain insights regarding color and design trends affecting consumer purchasing behaviors as well as the most recent product introductions for their comprehensive seasonal and annual inventory or catalog needs. Attendees will include trade professionals working in many fields including specialty casual furniture stores, full-line home furnishing stores, department stores, pool and spa stores, garden centers, hearth and fireplace stores, catalogs, hardware centers, discount / mass merchandisers, interior design, hospitality specification, landscape design, and landscape architecture.


Those present at Casual Market will have the opportunity to witness the latest outdoor and casual product introductions from the industry’s leading manufacturers in a variety of categories. Outdoor / casual furniture will include beach chairs, benches, deep seating, dining collections, hammocks, folding / stacking furniture, cast metal / cast combination, rattan, wicker, woven, resin / PVC, tubular, fiberglass, wood, wrought iron, wrought aluminum, and mosaic tabletops. Manufacturers with outdoor accessories and specialty products will exhibit the latest in tabletop items, statuary, fountains, fabric, grills, outdoor kitchens / bars, hearth and heating products, outdoor rugs and flooring, cushions and pillows, pottery and planters, fire pits, umbrellas / awnings, decorative / garden accessories, and other items.


 


The International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market Dates and Times:

Merchandise Mart, Chicago, Illinois, held Tuesday, Sept. 17 – Friday, Sept. 20, 2013.

 


Consolidated Permanent Showrooms, Floors 15 and 16:

Tuesday, Sept. 17 – Thursday, Sept. 19, 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 20, 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

 


Temporary Exhibitors, Market Suites, Floor 8:

Tuesday, Sept. 17 – Thursday, Sept. 19, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 20, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

 


Market attendees will be able to stay late for the Market Welcome Party, Tuesday, Sept.17, 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.


 


The Casual Market’s newly redesigned website includes helpful information for exhibitors and attendees. It offers detailed information about the show’s featured areas, market dates and hours, a link to the show’s Facebook page featuring images from last year’s market, and much more. Visit the Casual Market’s website at www.casualmarket.com.