WMC is Changing the Futon World as We Know It

WMC and the Future of the World (of Furniture)

If you read everything I’ve ever written about the now-under-construction WMC, you will see that I have gone from one-time skeptic to true believer. “The world’s largest futon market (outside of High Point), in a dusty lot near old downtown Las Vegas? Yeah, right.” That’s where I started five or six years ago when the WMC was just a dream.

Part of me has always been unwilling to count any chicks before they are hatched. Hey, I don’t even like to accept that I’ve been paid until the check clears. And even then I can remember times when, two weeks after delivering the goods, I get a call from my banker telling me the client stopped payment and the check actually bounced. I’m a cynic, what can I say?

That being said, my better instincts are now telling me that this market could become a pivotal event in the future of futon marketing as we know it. Think about it this way. Asia (China in particular), Latin America, Canada, Europe and other exporting nations will continue to pour product into the US economy. Major US suppliers will be outsourcing from these global marketers, with China getting the biggest piece of the pie. As always, brands will gain the lion’s share of consumer spending for home furnishings, and the brands will build what they sell offshore.

Futon furniture buyers love to shop. They love to shop in High Point. Everything you could ever hope to see all in one place. And they will love to shop in Las Vegas, the fastest growing city in the country, and one of the top convention sites anywhere. So where else would you want to build a Futon market? Every other (futon) market will have to duke it out for the remaining scraps. Ultimately, only three or four mega markets (perhaps only one or two) will thrive and survive. The smaller regional markets will get even smaller and some will just disappear. The expense of running, exhibiting at and attending these marginal markets is just not cost effective.

If the Las Vegas market plays its cards right and does everything by the book (i.e., top shelf venue; top shelf customer service; world class customer/buyer centric events and accommodations; warm welcomes and hard working staff; and lots of free stuff for the press, etc.), then the event will be everything we dreamed of and more.

Let’s face it. We all go to market for one thing—business. Business is three parts buying and selling and one part connecting to our network of colleagues. If the timing is right (an upward swing in the economy coupled with a positive turn of events globally) this (Las Vegas) market will pick up momentum during its first year and a half of operation and roll into 2007 with a full head of steam. It’s going to happen, and we wish them the best.

The Name Remains the Same

If you had told me three months ago that the word "futon" had a very positive value in the marketplace, I would have said you were wrong. Oops! Laurie Converse’s follow up article on "The Name Game" is revealing. In her interviews with more than one hundred consumers, she found out that they have a great perception of the product and will pay a fair price for quality. Check out the full article on page eight. Laurie will look at the teen and twenty-something market in the Summer WMC issue.

Becky Miller has two wonderful stories in this issue. The first focuses on how sitting works. What seating angle is best for real rest and provides positive ergonomics for excellent posture (that’s a mouthful)? Becky covers all the angles in this detailed look at why futon sofa seats are slanted while conventional sofa seats are flat. Secondly, having been trained in human resources, Becky tackles pre-employment background screening.

Dave Garretson’s self-deprecating humor is evident in his funny look at responses to deliveries to his mailbag. And Tim Jacobs keeps an eagle eye on the flammability and open flame issues we all face in the futon mattress and home furnishings industry. We have always tried our best to get the latest information possible out to the largest number of people, and Tim is the guru of record.

In fact, we recently received the following letter from Brian Stiger, Chief of the
California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation.

Mr. Tatulli:
I just finished reading the latest issue of Futon Life [Winter ’04-’05]. As usual, it was filled with useful information for the industry. Thanks for sending me copies.

I really enjoy this educational and entertaining magazine, and I especially appreciate Timothy Jacobs' current and past articles on the California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation.

Mr. Jacobs and Futon Life enhance the Bureau's ability to inform the futon industry of California laws and regulations. An informed and educated industry strengthens our consumer protection program and decreases the potential for non-compliant products to enter California's marketplace.

Thanks again for your good work!

Best regards,
Brian J. Stiger, Chief, BHFTI

Thanks, Mr. Stiger.

Damage Control

It seems I may have overstepped my bounds again (so what’s new?). In the last issue, I mentioned a couple of things that brought out the ire of several members of the Futon Association Board of Directors, of which I am a member. Like most boards, we don’t all think alike. When I have an opposition opinion, I am vocal about it. That should not be a surprise to anyone who has been around for a few years.

Last issue, I characterized the premium space the Association leased from the WMC as “commodity space.” My mistake. In fact, it is indeed premium space right next to the new main building under construction now in Las Vegas. This new venue is an epic happening and FAI is right there to promote a premium message for its members. In a constantly changing world, it’s good to know that the FAI Board is staying on focus investing member resources in hard working and profitable endeavors.

Here’s the deal. As an elected board member, it is my responsibility to vote my
conscience. I present my suggestions and challenges to enlighten and enliven the discussion. This isn’t a popularity contest. It’s a constituency thing. It’s about being accountable to the people who voted for us.

During a recent vote to reduce the number of board members from seven to five over the next two years, I voted "no." The board members who think this is a good idea say we need to be more efficient, and that this will reduce the cost of running the Association. I say we need to find ways to add to, not reduce our numbers in both membership and oversight, because we need advocacy and participation now more than ever. What do you think?

Mayor Laffey Update

My friend the mayor is just not your average guy. As I told you several issues back, Steve Laffey’s exposure of waste and corruption in the City of Cranston, R.I., brought out the National Teachers Union and the International Laborers Union to support Laffey’s opponents, whose mission was to snuff out the small flame Laffey was hoping to turn into a barn fire. Well, try as they might to drive our man into the ground, the good mayor and his band of tax reformers fought back and won in a landslide in both the primary and the general election. Power to the people!

The goods news is two fold in Cranston. First, Laffey won his case against the Crossing Guards. The judge’s ruling stated that the contract’s no-layoff clause prevented the city from protecting the citizens as provided for in the City Charter. The judge said, "… this Court finds that the No Restructuring Clause (no layoff clause), in addition to being non-arbitrable, is adverse to the public interest and therefore void as against public policy."

Secondly, Fitch and Moody’s, the two leading Municipal Bond Rating Agencies, raised the city’s bond rating to investment grade, an unprecedented three-level rise in two years. The city’s budget is balanced, there is a surplus, not a deficit, the bond rating is up and things are looking bright.

To top it all off, Mayor Laffey now has his own radio talk show. Every Friday morning from 9:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., it’s The Steve Laffey Show on the state’s leading talk radio station, 630 WPRO AM. After just one week of the show being on the air, the opposition is going nuts. Although no laws have been broken, the opposition is raising quite a fuss. Two partisan leaders have filed complaints; one with the Board of Canvassers and the other with the State Ethics Commission. The upshot of all this activity is that the good mayor is becoming more popular than ever.

The moral of the story is simple. Integrity, hard work, leadership and courage can make a huge difference anywhere. As Laffey empties the trash cans of corruption, cronyism and special-interest-driven spending packages, the air will continue to clear.

Gotta Love It

Who told ya, baby? The New England Patriots did it again. I remember looking out my hotel window in San Francisco back in the early 90s when the 49ers won their third Super Bowl. I thought to myself then, "Wow, this must be a lot of fun for these fans." Now I know how much fun it is myself.

Success in the NFL (like every other human endeavor that employs multiple players) is about team. There is no other way to play the game. It’s never about superstars; it’s about super teams. The New England Patriots are a super team. Congratulations to the whole Patriots organization for a job well done.

Website Winner

Gene Sawdon of The Futon Gallery in Saginaw, Mich., was chosen at random from all the retailers who responded to our recent 2004 Retailer Survey. The Futon Gallery will receive a website designed by RTP Advertising.

FL