MIDDLETOWN, PA -- Furniture First Buying Group has informed its members and sponsors that their Symposium scheduled for May 11-13, 2020 has been canceled.
"This was one of the hardest decisions the board and I ever had to make, but it is the right thing to do. The health and safety of our members, sponsors and staff comes first. But it does feel a little like we cancelled Christmas. We are told time and time again by many that it is their favorite event of the year. That's what made the decision so difficult." CEO Andrew Kauffman said.
Furniture First researched alternative weeks to reschedule but was unable to find a suitable date between the venue's availability and retailers' ability to attend. Ultimately it was determined that the attendance that was needed to make the event a success would not be there. The sponsorships for the Furniture First 2020 Symposium sold out within six hours when they opened on Nov. 1, 2019. Those sponsorships and associated registrations will be refunded in the coming days.
The next Furniture First Symposium will be held on May 17-19, 2021 at the Renaissance Palm Spring Hotel in Palm Springs, California.
Furniture First is a cooperative national home furnishings and mattress buying group serving full line independent retailers with sales over $2 million. Collectively, the group sells $2.8 billion at retail with their approved merchandise programs in the 512 member storefronts. Furniture First occupies showrooms in Las Vegas (B530) and High Point (IHFC G-770) where they display products from several of the group's approved vendors. For more information on Furniture First Membership, please visit
www.FurnitureFirst.coop/join or call 800-411-3477.