Maneuvering the Maze Can be a Scary Experience

Maneuvering the maze at the High Point Market was terribly frustrating and a scary experience for first timers. By the time we finally left, we had a much better handle of how to navigate and offer tips below for the next time. Now I know why all the advice was to get a map, have a plan, be prepared. We thought we were.

Maps to Help Maneuver

Here’s the map, oh but wait, this is only one of maybe four or more maps that were presented to us, not to mention each individual building had it’s own or multiple maps within. Crazy maneuvering the maze of these multiple maps! Yes, we thought we were prepared but realized others were experiencing the same situation of complicated inconsistency and they had been coming for over five years or more. This said more about the layout organization, I thought, than those trying to circumvent it.

Now look at this next map below and notice, same map as above, closer view but different orientation. Little things like this, made things more complicated than they needed to be for maneuvering the maze of High Point.

As was stated in the last post, perhaps the organizers of the Market have been doing it so long that they no longer see it from an outside perspective. Sometimes stepping back and approaching things as if they are brand new can give you a whole other fresh perspective. It’s just good for business and why we try to do it and constantly with Casart Coverings. Why, because there can always be improvement. No one wants to be maneuvering the maze of these maps each visit.

Resource Guide Reduces the Maze

The best maps are the ones in the ringed Resource Guide because they show the buildings in relation to one another via 3-D arial perspective and with streets. Each section of the High Point Furniture Market area is divided by side tabs with the building or buildings highlighted in red for that section. Simple, brilliant, easy to understand and consistent.

Individual Building Map Mazes

But then you got to the individual building maps. Helpful but Arrgh! The most difficult to maneuver is the IHFC (International Home Furnishing Center) – and the main building with the skywalk across Wrenn Street. The IHFC is in front of the transportation hub where buses drop off hordes of people daily.

There are helpful tips in this brochure, like start at the top and when in doubt look up to see signs like “you are here.” But where is here? There are 7 wings of this huge building, which didn’t look all that tremendously big from the outside, being used to the city and all but there are no windows. Something you take for granted until you’re inside. There is no way to get your sense of orientation as one wing becomes the next without much demarcation. You can look up and follow signs as we did but before you know it, you’re not where you want to be and you don’t know how you even got there. Here are few tips we thought that the High Point Market organizers could use to help visitors with maneuvering their maze.

Improvement Tips for Maneuvering the Maze of High Point

1) Please keep the orientation of the maps consistent.

It didn’t help to find “you are here” on one map, study it and find your way to the next map just to discover that the map orientation was completely turned around and in the opposite direction. Were they trying to confuse us. We already felt crazed. This just made us feel more disoriented.

2) Paint the corridor walls of each wing a different color.

3) Have street names at N, S, E and W navigational points

Document each interior wall map and directional arrows painted on the interior wall as you move from one building to the next. The DC Metro does a good job of this when you exit the train and you need to know what direction to approach. You choose by the street and compass direction. Often times we were just trying to get out of the building.

4) Ditch similar sounding named buildings and have them be distinctly different.

For example, Market Square and The Suites at Market Square are too similar sounding. Oh and these buildings are connected even though they are different.

5) Add windows

Add artificially lighted window boxes to simulate natural light or something that would make the experience of getting lost so often more pleasant. Not having this may be why we found ourselves just planted, resting at the Coastal Living show booth — twice. Serene. You could almost hear the ocean waves here.

 

 More tips for newcomers:

1) Review the Preview books in advance and make note of what showrooms you want to see.

2) Map out their locations in advance.

3) Plan to do one building a day. If you’re attending lectures, like we did, try to see showrooms or exhibitors booths in that location either before or after, before going onto the next lecture, which may be in another building and often is.

4) Plan on concentrating on one to two buildings a day. Take at least 2 days to visit the IHFC.

• Start at the top.

• If a building has many wings like the IHFC does, cover one wing, not floor at a time.

• Take elevators to the top and escalators or even stairwells down — although one of my friends, who is a pro at this got stuck in a stairwell. That would truly be scary.

• Interhall of IHFC is where all the exhibitors and open showrooms are. This is where you’ll see many design forecasts for the upcoming season.

• Floor 1- 4 of IHFC is primarily accessories with floors 2 & 3 also having furniture. Floors 5 – 12 are mostly furniture. Lighting is primarily on one of these but I can’t remember which one. Some companies like Ashley furniture take over an entire floor of one wing so we skipped altogether.

• Visit the IHFC and Suites at Market Square Exhibitor’s booths first then concentrate on other buildings and even “off main campus” showrooms.

5) Register at My Market on the High Point Market website in order to drop exhibitors and events into your planner, even interact with other attendees and most importantly print out your lists. This was a huge help.

After Maneuvering the Maze of a day at High Point

Yikes, after all this, we felt like rats in a maze, trapped at times. I think others did too. By the time 4 and 5 o’clock hit, it was uncanny how the doors would fling open and people would just jettison themselves outside — maybe to get fresh air, maybe to see the light of day but most certainly to smoke. I’ve never been surrounded by so much cigarette smoke — even while living in Paris! The entire front bank of columns in front of the IHFC has ashtrays and each table in every cafe has ashtrays. Smoking is the way of the Sales Reps here and there are tons of them.

At the end of the day, one just needed to relax. We found ourselves heading over the Showplace, the contemporary building across from the IHFC  & Transportation Hub.

It’s a lovely building, particularly at night but more importantly it’s THE place to kick back with a couple of Coronas and watch the afternoon sun dip down while listening to some cool jazz before more entertainment began.  Whoever planned this part, did it just right. It just took us 3 days into the trip to discover it!

Maze Afterglow Entertainment

One can even get a little crazy in the afternoon shade hugging another lovely couple’s stuffed giraffe. What is my mother doing, she must have been affected by about 3 miles of walking a day that it felt so good to have some comfort and normalcy?! Maybe she was just giddy having successfully maneuvered the High Point maze. Luckily, she returned the giraffe. Evidently it is a collector’s item with a different toy animal offered each year by one showroom.

In between these two buildings is where the evening entertainment like the B52’s concert took place. I’ve always wanted to see them in concert and now I can check that off my list. They were great, but you had to be there! My video didn’t come out as well as Jill Seidner’s of Material Girl blog, so here’s hers.

As I walked away, they were playing Planet Claire — perfect spooky music for the occasion — surreal and strange but fun and interesting and exhausting all at the same time.

Happy Halloween!!

— Ashley