ON-SITE MARKETING

Official On-Site Directory
2008 Sponsorship Opportunites
2008 New Product Gallery
2008 Merchandising Excellence Awards

Official On-Site Directory

The International Casual Furniture & Accessory Market™ Official Show Directory highlights your showroom/Market Suites and offerings at Market. With more than 300 companies exhibiting at Market, your ad ensures that buyers will see your products and know where to find you. The Directory includes detailed floor plans, easily identifiable showroom listings and complete product category descriptions. The Official Show Directory is the ONLY publication handed to every buyer attending Market, and is used year-round as a valuable reference tool. The closing date is Monday, July 23, 2008. Contact Boyd Tasker at 847-675-7400 or btasker@homedecorbuyer.com.

2008 Sponsorship Opportunities

Want to increase your visibility and brand awareness during the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market? Sponsorships are a powerful traffic booster! Sponsor an event, create a furniture display on the first floor, display your logo or product image on show banners or choose from any of our other creative cross-promotional opportunities. All sponsorships also include logo placement on the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market website under “Sponsors”.

Furniture Displays
NOTE: Furniture display sponsors must submit layout design and product images for approval.

Orleans Elevator Furniture Display
Catch buyers’ eyes before they head up to the show floors with a furniture display on the First Floor by the Orleans elevators – some of the most highly trafficked elevators at Market. This location is approximately 10 x 10, perfect for a small vignette. Certain requirements/restrictions apply; please call for details.
Promotional Fee: $1,300 (Limited to 1 sponsor)

East Pass-Through Furniture Display
Showcase your latest furniture collection to thousands of attendees with a display space on the First Floor. This ideal location, approximately 12’x12’, is the pass-way between the North and South corridors, near the popular Wells Street entrance to The Mart. This space also allows for a large wall area to hang a poster or banner. Certain requirements/restrictions apply; please call for details. 
Promotional Fee: $1,300 (Limited to 1 sponsor)

Press Room Furniture Display
Sponsor the Market Press Room and get your product in front of the key editors writing about the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market. Sponsor will need to provide approximately six tables (regular or bistro) and 18-20 chairs as a product promotion. Sponsorship also includes on-site signage in the press room and the opportunity to distribute your company giveaways, i.e. pens, paper, etc., in the Press Room.
Promotional Fee: $850 (Limited to 1 sponsor)

Umbrella Displays
NOTE: Umbrella display sponsors must submit image, dimensions and color for approval. 

Kinzie/Wells Entrance Outdoor Umbrella Display
Display one of your latest umbrella designs at the popular Kinzie/Wells entrance. Your umbrella will be on display outside on the corner across the street from Mart Parc Wells and the Kinzie Chophouse. Gain exposure to the buyers as well as the thousands of consumers and designers that pass through the building on a daily basis. Certain requirements/restrictions apply; please call for details.
Promotional Fee: $750 (Limited to one sponsor)

Promotional Giveaways

Market Bags
Provide your branded shopping bags to Market Attendees in the Registration area on the First Floor. Buyers will walk the show carrying along your brand name, plus have a take home to remember you by. Bags will be placed in bins. Certain size limitations apply, please call for details.
Promotional Fee: $1,000 (Limited to 3 sponsors, each sponsor provides 1,000 bags)

First Floor Lobby Giveaway
Distribute your promotional materials to Market attendees on the First Floor of The Merchandise Mart for a day. Materials can include anything from shopping bags, water bottles, items promoting a new product, etc. Watch as each attendee becomes a walking billboard for your brand. Promotional materials must be submitted for approval. Call for more details.
Promotional Fee: $1,000 per day (Limited to 2 sponsors per day)

Bottled Water with Company Logo on Show Floor
Quench your buyers thirst during a busy day of shopping with a customized bottle of water featuring your company logo and space/showroom number. Water bottles will be distributed in the Press Room, Buyers Lounge and Presentation Room.
Promotional Fee: Call for quantity and pricing (Limited to 1 sponsor)

Email Communications

Web Site Advertisement
Hurry and sponsor a web ad on the Casual Market Web Site. Attendees utilize the web site as a resource to help plan their time before they get to Market. Feature your latest product or invite them to your booth/showroom with a web ad. Sponsor is responsible for designing ad according to MMPI specifications and must submit for approval. Call for more details.
Promotional Fee: $1,500 per ad (Limited to 3 sponsors)

E-blast Advertisement
Get your message out to thousands of potential buyers before they even make it to Market. Place your ad on a Market e-blast that is sent to the Casual Market database. Sponsor is responsible for designing ad according to MMPI specifications and must submit for approval. Call for more details.
Promotional Fee: $750 per e-blast (Limited to 5 e-blast sponsors)

Signage
NOTE: Signage sponsors are required to design the banners/photo blow ups. Artwork is due August 15, 2008. File specifications and uploading information will be sent to sponsors in July. All signage is subject to approval by the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market.

Banner in New Stairwell Connecting 15th and 16th Floors
Showcase your brand in the new stairwell connecting the casual showrooms between the 15th and 16th Floors. Buyers will be using this convenient stairwell to shop the Market and discover the resources now available on the 15th floor. The 10’ x 3’ banner will be returned to you for your use post market.
Promotional Fee: $800 (Limited to 1 sponsor)

Apollo Awards Trolleys
After the prestigious Apollo Awards, promote your brand to key attendees on the way back to their hotel or next destination. Four manufacturers will have the opportunity to sponsor one of four trolley routes (four trolleys per route) from Navy Pier back to a central hotel location. Informational signage and collateral will direct attendees to hop on the “SPONSOR NAME Trolley” to reach their destination. Sponsor signage also will be placed on the exterior and interior of the trolley and can include a product image, manufacturer logo and the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market logo.
Promotional Fee: $3,000 per sponsor (Limited to 4 Sponsors).Fee includes signage and sponsorship of four trolleys on one route. Call for more information
Kinzie/Wells Entrance Banner
Showcase your company name, location, logo and product image at one of the busiest entrances/exits at Market. Two 25” x 41” color banners flank the window above the revolving door giving you twice the messaging opportunities. The banners will be returned to you for your use post market.
Promotional Fee: $1,000 (Limited to 1 sponsor)

Lobby/Corridor Banners
Gain exposure on the first floor of The Merchandise Mart with a vertical 99” x 31” banner. This double-sided, four-color banner is perfect for displaying a product image, company logo and booth location. Horizontal banners available for display on the 7th and 8th floors. The banners will be returned to you for your use post market.
Promotional Fee: $650 per banner (Unlimited sponsors)

Photo Enlargement Signs
Showcase your best photo on the first floor of The Merchandise Mart with a Photo Enlargement Sign. This four color 3’ x 5’ foam core sign is a great visual way to reach buyers on the first floor and has enough space for an image, company logo, and location of your space/showroom. Please note that these photo enlargement signs will be returned to you for your use after the market.
Promotional Fee: $675 per photo (Unlimited sponsors)

Pedway Banners
Promote yourself with signage in the “Pedway”, the highly trafficked walkway between The Merchandise Mart and the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza. Banners are double-sided; four-color that include product image, manufacturer logo and the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market logo. The dimensions for the banners are 3’ high by 6’ wide. The banners will be returned to you for your use post market.
Promotional Fee: $500 per banner (Limited to 9 sponsors)

Floor Decals
Floor decals are a great way to capture buyers’ eyes as they are walking the Market and direct them to your space. Decals will be placed in the elevator banks on the permanent floors and along the main corridors of the 7th and 8th floors.
Promotional Fee: $300/each (Limited to 2 sponsors per temporary floor and 1 sponsor per permanent floor)

Events/Parties

Annual Market Party at the East Bank Club Rooftop
More than 1,000 guests attend the Annual Market Party at the East Bank Club each year. Reach this key audience by becoming a co-sponsor with MMPI and Casual Living Magazine. As a co-sponsor, your logo will be featured in a full page, 4/C ad in Casual Living magazine promoting the Annual Market Party. Plus, you will be listed as co-sponsor of the Market Party in all attendee e-blasts about the event, on the Web site under the event description and in on-site signage/banners.
Promotional Fee: $5,250 for Supporting Sponsorship (Unlimited sponsors)

2008 New Product Gallery

Gain additional buyer exposure by displaying your new product in the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market™ New Product Gallery, located on the first floor, North Corridor of The Merchandise Mart during Market, September 15-18, 2008.

This year’s New Product Gallery will display a wide range of casual indoor and outdoor furniture and related accessories from the Market exhibitors in the Market Suites and permanent showrooms.  Products will be identified by signs and in a special handout that will be available on-site at the display.

Click here to access the New Product Gallery Order Form.

Participants must meet the following requirements:

• Participation is limited to The International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market 2008 exhibitors and permanent casual showrooms.

• Product(s) submitted must be NEW for the September 2008 Market.

• Product(s) must arrive fully assembled. If not, you will be charged a fee for the time to assemble your product.

• Due to space and weight limitations, product(s) submitted must be limited in size to approximately 2’ wide by 3’ long by 4’ high. A chaise lounge, a highboy table or a bar is acceptable. In addition, all items submitted should be easily maneuvered by two people.

• Umbrellas are acceptable for the display and need not fit in the size limitations; however, we are limited to three (3) umbrellas for the display. Umbrellas will be displayed on a first come, first served basis upon submitting this form.

• Only two (2) items from any manufacturer will be accepted (i.e. a chair and ottoman count as 2 products). Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis. 

• Products must be able to be displayed as product would be in use. If for any reason a product is determined not to fit in the display, MMPI has the right to return the product to the exhibitor’s showroom/booth and will refund the fee.

• The reservation form, photo of product (s) and a payment of $125 per item must be received on or before July 31, 2008. Credit cards are preferred; checks are acceptable and should be made payable to Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc.

• Actual product for the New Product Gallery must be delivered between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tuesday, September 2- Friday, September 5. Products must arrive no later than Friday, September 5, 2008. No products will be accepted after the deadline.

All boxes should be clearly marked NEW PRODUCT GALLERY and shipped to: 

• Products must be accompanied by a business card and product description. Items without identification will NOT be accepted.

• A design professional will set up the New Product Gallery in the order that he/she feels best. No products are to be moved or added to the Gallery after it is set up. If a product is moved or added after the Gallery has been staged it will be removed and the entry fee will not be reimbursed.

• PLEASE NOTE: If you plan to submit the same product(s) for the Design Excellence Competition and New Product Gallery, you must send 2 of the same product, 1 for Design Excellence and 1 for New Product Gallery. Design Excellence entries will not be moved to the New Product Gallery.

• IMPORTANT REMINDER FOR PRE-MARKET PARTICIPANTS: If you would like to submit a product that you will be showing at Pre-Market, we will store the product for you. All New Product Gallery entries will be stored together, separate from your other products. To store your product you must notify Jaclyn Kotzum by July 11th at 312.527.7764 or jkotzum@mmart.com.

Please put your product in a separate crate/box and label with the following:

Company Name
September Booth #
DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS COMPETITION
Name of Product

If your New Product Gallery entry is crated with the rest of the products you store you will be charged for the time and labor to open crates to find your entry. If we cannot clearly identify which product is the entry, it will not be placed in the New Product Gallery.

• The Merchandise Mart will return your product from the New Product Gallery to your space by 10 p.m. Thursday, September 18, 2008.

2008 Merchandising Excellence Awards

The Merchandising Excellence Awards are presented by the Casual Furniture Retailers Association (CFR), Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI) and Hearth & Home magazine to honor exhibitors who, through creative effort and skill, present a highly professional example of visual merchandising in their showroom/booth that serves to both educate and inspire Market attendees. Each Showroom / Exhibitor can enter in one (1) of the four categories.

Winners will receive recognition at the Industry Excellence Presentation during the Market Welcome Party on the 7th Floor at 6 p.m. Monday, September 15. Signs will be placed at winning showrooms/booths for the duration of Market. Images of winning showrooms / booths will appear in the November issue of Hearth & Home magazine.
Click here to fill out the form and return to Jaclyn Kotzum by Friday, August 15, 2008.