High Point Market prep checklist

The show special looks irresistible under showroom lighting. Back home, it still needs floor space, receiving capacity, and customers who want it. Market becomes an expensive week when the buying plan starts after the first appointment.

A useful High Point Market prep checklist begins with the gaps in your assortment and ends with acknowledged purchase orders. Use the three weeks before departure as a suggested planning window, then reserve time after the trip to finish the work. High Point holds its markets in spring and fall, in April and October; use the Market Authority's information for the event you plan to attend.

Before market, define what the trip needs to accomplish

Write a short buying brief before booking the showroom route. Name the product categories you want to strengthen, the price positions you need, and the pieces you intend to replace. “Find a shallower sofa for apartment projects” gives the visit a purpose. “See what's new” gives every showroom equal permission to sell you something.

Include learning goals too. You might need a closer look at construction, a conversation about service parts, or training on a fabric program. Those outcomes can justify a visit even when the immediate order is small.

Use this first part of the checklist:

[ ] Name each assortment gap and the customer need behind it.
[ ] Identify floor pieces to replace and the space each replacement can occupy.
[ ] Decide which vendor relationships need review.
[ ] List the product, service, and training questions that require a visit.
[ ] Set the maximum merchandise commitment for the trip.
[ ] Assign who can approve a purchase and who records it.

The guide to choosing furniture fairs helps if the larger question is whether High Point is the right trip for your business.

Build the budget around arrivals as well as orders

An open-to-buy budget should account for stock already owned and purchase commitments already placed. Start with the buying capacity for each category, then consider when the goods and invoices are likely to arrive. A show special shipping into a full warehouse is a different proposition from the same piece arriving after a planned floor reset.

Bring sales, landed margin, stock value, and aged-stock information by vendor where available. Gross margin return on inventory investment is most useful when the sales and average stock figures cover a consistent period. Keep special orders and floor stock distinct so a strong custom-order vendor is not judged solely by floor-stock turnover.

Say your illustrative market budget is $40,000 and existing commitments use $25,000 of it. The remaining capacity is $15,000 before any additional freight allowance. A $12,000 opening order leaves little room for the other gaps you came to fill. Write the remaining balance after each commitment; do not wait for the evening to discover it.

[ ] Reconcile open POs with the category budget.
[ ] Review landed margin and aged inventory by vendor.
[ ] Identify cash and receiving constraints by arrival period.
[ ] Reserve room for freight, minimums, and agreed additional charges.
[ ] Decide which purchases require a second review.
[ ] Bring the open-to-buy working plan.

Plan appointments around decisions, not just addresses

Give priority appointments to vendors with a decision waiting: replace a frame, review service problems, confirm a launch, or negotiate terms. Send the purchasing questions beforehand so the right person and paperwork are available.

Group visits geographically and leave room to compare notes. High Point's official planning resources include maps, shuttle information, and MyMarket tools for saving showrooms and events. Use those resources to make the route practical, then keep your own buying priorities visible alongside it.

[ ] Confirm appointments and who will attend.
[ ] Group nearby visits and allow travel time.
[ ] Save the showroom addresses and contact details.
[ ] Agree how the team will share notes and photos.
[ ] Leave time for an unplanned discovery without spending the reserved budget automatically.

A sofa can survive being admired without being ordered. That is a useful market skill.

Ask the vendor questions that affect the eventual cost

The conversation should reach beyond the show price. Ask what the price includes, which configuration it covers, and how long the offer remains available. Establish whether freight, tariffs, packaging, or other surcharges can be added later, and what protects an order already accepted.

Ask about production and transport separately. A ship window is not an arrival date. For special-order lines, discuss fabric availability, option restrictions, and how the vendor handles an unavailable choice after acceptance.

Carry this question list into each appointment:

[ ] What are the opening and repeat-order minimums?
[ ] Which terms and payment arrangements apply to this account?
[ ] What exactly earns the show discount?
[ ] Which charges are included, excluded, or subject to change?
[ ] Does price protection depend on order, acknowledgment, or shipment date?
[ ] What is the production window, and what transport follows it?
[ ] What are the return, damage, and service-parts procedures?
[ ] Is co-op advertising available, and what proof and deadlines govern it?
[ ] Can you supply catalog data, option lists, images, and current swatches?
[ ] Who will acknowledge the order and answer follow-up questions?

Keep the agreed answers with the order form. The person receiving the shipment may never meet the representative who made the promise.

During market, make every piece identifiable

Ask permission before taking photographs. The Market Authority's FAQ notes that some showrooms restrict photography. Where it is permitted, connect the piece with its model identifier, configuration, and price information. Where it is not, ask for the vendor's product material.

Record fabric grade and code, finish, dimensions, quantity, and purchase purpose. A floor model and a customer's already-sold configuration need different handling. Note whether the shown cushion, leg, or trim is included in the quoted cost.

[ ] Identify the model before leaving the display.
[ ] Record every selected option and its cost effect.
[ ] Save the written price and offer conditions.
[ ] Record the destination and requested timing.
[ ] Mark whether the order was placed, quoted, or merely considered.
[ ] Save the vendor's reference for a placed order.
[ ] Collect the catalog file and matching price list.
[ ] Update remaining buying capacity after each commitment.

Keep a short daily review. Resolve duplicate selections and missing information while the showroom is still nearby.

Decide who should travel and which market matters

Bring salespeople when they have a defined job: evaluating sit, learning a configurable collection, or testing whether the vendor can answer the questions customers ask. Agree who has purchasing authority. An associate can contribute valuable showroom judgment without becoming a second buyer by accident.

If your store buys from only five vendors, use that as a planning scenario rather than a reason to dismiss the trip. Compare the travel cost and staff coverage with the decisions that require seeing furniture in person. A focused trip can make sense; a remote review may cover routine replenishment.

Spring versus fall depends on your selling calendar, product introductions, and lead times. Work backward from the period when you need the furniture available. Neither market automatically matters more to every independent retailer. Ask your key vendors which event best supports the decisions on your list.

After market, finish the commitments before the notes go cold

Reserve the first two weeks after the trip for a suggested closeout routine, with vendor deadlines taking priority. Sort orders by vendor, enter commitments, obtain missing specifications, and compare each acknowledgment with the original agreement.

In OrderPilot, show orders become standalone POs, and orders already placed at the booth can be confirmed as sent with their original forms attached. Import new product templates, options, and prices from a validated spreadsheet so the sales floor has the catalog it needs. The after-market purchasing workflow follows the full handoff.

[ ] Reconcile all placed orders with the buying budget.
[ ] Record each order once and attach its source form.
[ ] Set up vendor contacts and the catalog lines you will sell.
[ ] Compare acknowledgments with prices, configurations, and requested dates.
[ ] Assign unresolved questions and follow-up dates.
[ ] Brief the sales floor on pieces, swatches, and confirmed timing.
[ ] Update arrival planning and the aged-stock markdown plan.

Keep this checklist with the trip file and mark each item as it is finished. The final test is simple: can someone who stayed home understand every purchase? Start the next handoff with purchase orders that preserve the sold specification.

Sources

Frequently asked questions — High Point Market Authority.
Planning resources — High Point Market Authority.

High Point Market prep for independent retailers