What’s the difference between Fashion, Automotive, Tech, and Furniture?

Hold that thought — I’ll get back to it.

Let’s rewind to October 2020.
The world was deep in the uncertainty of COVID-19. Tradeshows were canceled, buyers were grounded, and the furniture industry — one of the most physical, tactile industries on earth — suddenly found itself paralyzed.

I was in High Point, North Carolina, camped out in the media room while four reporters I’d recruited were running across town filming product intros for brands who couldn’t afford to sit out the Market entirely. Thousands of designers and retailers were still nervous to travel, and my goal was simple: keep the industry alive by getting their products in front of people who couldn’t be there.

That’s when I sat down with Tom Connelly, then President of the High Point Market Authority.

I asked him, “What’s your plan coming out of COVID?”

He said, “As soon as they have a vaccine, everyone will come back.”

And I remember saying, “Tom, we’re never going back. Humans have changed — and I’m not sure Market was headed in the right direction anyway.”


The Furniture Market Problem

If you’ve never been, the High Point Market is the Super Bowl of the furniture industry — held twice a year, with parallel events in Las Vegas, Atlanta, and smaller ones in L.A. and Chicago.

But here’s the truth: it’s not exciting.

Manufacturers simply open their showrooms and hope for foot traffic. Rows of similar sofas, sideboards, and sectionals, all fighting for the same slice of buyer attention.

By October 2025 — five years later — attendance still hasn’t returned to pre-COVID numbers. And if the industry is going to recover, it doesn’t just need to get back to 2019. It needs to outperform 2019.

That means doing something fundamentally different.


The Missing Element: A Launch Moment

I told Tom something that day that still rings true:
“The difference between Furniture, Fashion, Automotive, and Tech is that only one of those doesn’t have a launch week.”


Fashion has Fashion Week.
Automotive has the New York Auto Show.
Tech has CES in Las Vegas.

Each of these industries builds anticipation. They create scarcity, exclusivity, and storytelling around their launches.

Furniture Market should be that — but it isn’t.


The Idea: Furniture Fashion Week

I proposed a new concept:
“Furniture Fashion Week.”

Imagine this — six to eight massive white tents set up between IHFC and Showplace. Every few hours, small groups of buyers, designers, and VIPs line up to enter.

Inside, they experience something completely new:
A runway-style furniture debut.

Lights, music, atmosphere — each manufacturer showing off new pieces the world hasn’t seen yet. Collections revealed with intention and emotion, not just another showroom tour.

Attendees leave with early access, marketing materials, and limited-time distribution rights.

Suddenly, being present at Market isn’t optional — it’s a competitive advantage.


The Strategy Behind It

I proposed structuring the events around exclusive release windows:
✓ 3-month, 6-month, 9-month, and 12-month early access for attendees who participated live.

✓ Exclusive marketing assets, digital content, and social media toolkits for local promotions.


This would do four things immediately:
1. Create Delayed Gratification
– Just like fashion, tech, and automotive, it introduces anticipation and exclusivity. You can’t have it yet — and that’s the point.

2. Fuel Competition and Innovation
– Today, the furniture industry is trapped in a FOMO cycle. One brand releases a pink sofa, and suddenly ten more follow. A true launch model forces brands to innovate, not imitate.

3. Increase Perceived Value and Pricing Power
– Scarcity drives value. By re-engineering the launch cycle, brands can command higher margins and re-establish prestige.

4. Boost Attendance and Engagement
– A multi-event week means brands and buyers bring teams, not just individuals. The Market becomes an experience, not an errand.


What This Has to Do with Customer-Centric Marketing

At its core, Furniture Fashion Week isn’t just a trade idea. It’s Customer-Centric Marketing at scale.

Today, the entire Market ecosystem is transactional — booths, buyers, sales reps. Everyone’s chasing the next PO.

But in a customer-centric model, we turn the attendees into marketers.

Each designer or retailer who attends a debut becomes an extension of the brand — armed with exclusive products, early access, and stories to tell. They become part of the product’s journey.

They don’t just buy. They belong.

And that’s what drives advocacy, buzz, and loyalty — not discounts or promotions.

The Untapped Potential

The ripple effect could be massive.

Furniture Fashion Week would open doors for sponsorships from lifestyle and luxury brands like Cadillac, American Standard, or even Tesla — all eager to align with design, innovation, and aspirational living.

It would create a genuine media moment — something furniture hasn’t had in decades.
It would make High Point not just a marketplace… but a stage.

And it would teach an entire industry how to market differently — by centering the experience around the customer, not the showroom.


The Future Is Story-Driven

When I told Tom my idea, I could see the wheels turning.
It wasn’t the Market he was used to — but it was the one the industry needed.

Because the truth is, the world doesn’t need more furniture. It needs stories. It needs experiences worth talking about. And that’s exactly what Customer-Centric Marketing creates.

So… what’s the difference between Fashion, Automotive, Tech, and Furniture?

Only one of them forgot how to debut its future.


If you’re a furniture, décor, or lifestyle brand and you’re ready to reimagine how you launch, market, and engage — let’s talk.

Because the next evolution of this industry won’t happen in a showroom.
It’ll happen on the runway.