HIGH POINT, N.C. — The Fall High Point Furniture Market is scheduled to begin in less than a month.
Organizers are working to make sure key safety measures are in place for the event. The High Point Premarket wrapped up this week and gave organizers a glimpse of what the bigger event could look like in the coming weeks.
The High Point Market is one of the largest economic impact events in the state which generates billions of dollars annually. Organizers and participants called the event a 'trial-run' and said safety is especially key this year in light of the pandemic. They said because of its importance to the economy, finding a way to keep operating safely remains critical.
"All of the sponsors in the showrooms required a temperature check and armband. For everybody that came into the buildings, masks were required," Doug Bassett of Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Company said.
Though scaled-down, and spread over three days, more than 300 sponsors took part in the High Point Premarket event.
"We expect attendance to be off by 30 to 40% so there'll be fewer people in town and they're going to be spread out over a nine-day period," Bassett said.
"We're meeting or exceeding all local state and federal guidelines for safety," Tom Conley the President and CEO of the High Point Market said.
The state gave organizers $725,000 in federal funds to implement COVID-19 compliant protocols for sanitation and transportation.
"We're going to be able to deliver a safe and very wonderful market for those people who choose to come," Conley said.
"Those people who are a little bit concerned and have underlying health conditions or families that have underlying health conditions, we're telling them not to come. We're not being foolish about this," he said.
Organizers also said because the market is virtual this year, there will be options for online presentations for anyone who cannot attend in person.
The fall furniture market event will run from Oct. 13 - 21.
