Join Waynette Goodson, managing editor of BedTimes and Sleep Savvy Magazines and Stuart Carlitz of Bedding Industries of America as they share their thoughts on the first day of the Las Vegas Market.
Transcript
Waynette Goodson
It’s Waynette Goodson. I’m your managing editor of BedTimes and Sleep Savvy Magazines. And I’m here today with Stuart Carlitz of Bedding Industries of America because it is our end-of-day wrap video, the first day of the Las Vegas Market. Stuart, tell us about your day. How did the first day go today?
Stuart Carlitz
Well, so far, so good. We’ve had steady traffic and important traffic.
Waynette Goodson
Good. Good for you.
Stuart Carlitz
Very pleased.
Waynette Goodson
Well, I have to say that this has been the buzziest of all the showrooms we’ve been into, Stuart. I mean, you have had a very busy showroom.
Stuart Carlitz
Buzziest?
Waynette Goodson
Buzziest. Wow. That word, Buzzy. I like it. So what do you think about what you have new here at market that is drawing all this attention? What is really getting buyer’s attention?
Stuart Carlitz
As you know, sustainability has become an important focus for the industry. And we have a variety of products that are all-natural and sustainable. As far as using recycled fiber, we have the ocean clean up in our Dacron densified pads, and we’re using natural latex, a lot of wool, a lot of silk, and all kinds of natural stories and fabrics.
Waynette Goodson
So, yes, I’ve been hoofing around all day at this market, and that is a big theme – sustainability now. But you’re also hitting on another big theme. We’re sleeping a lot better post-COVID with our Better Sleep Council research, where we’re seeing that people are sleeping better, but they’re still sleeping hot. About 40% of the adults that we surveyed have problems sleeping hot.
Generation X and Baby Boomers. Do you have an answer to that?
Stuart Carlitz
Well, we’ve got a phase change material in a lot of our products, also in the foam layering, but specifically in our fabrics. And the Glacier is one of those.
Waynette Goodson
The Glacier. I love that name. I love that.
Stuart Carlitz
Glacier Cool.
Waynette Goodson
Glacier cool. And there’s more, and there’s another term that I keep hearing that I think will be coming on strong in 2023. And that is the term split head.
Stuart Carlitz
Split head.
Waynette Goodson
So Stuart, tell us how that translates into what you’re doing here.
Stuart Carlitz
We’ve introduced the Glacier specifically in the split head, the only quilted split head queen and king mattress in the industry, and it’s a foam-encased innerspring. And yes, it features the split head so that a consumer with an adjustable bed and who would like to have independent control of the head has it with the split head.
Waynette Goodson
Split head. Yes. So that’s another term to remember. So let’s just get real here. We kept hearing about this market, that this was going to be the comeback market since the spring of 2020, that this was going to be sort of like the most back to normal, back to business. Is that what you’re feeling at the end of the first day?
Stuart Carlitz
Well, I will tell you that we had traffic and some important customers during COVID and the markets that took place. In this market, we’ve had robust traffic, and there to a lot of very, very good customers that we expected in a lot of appointments were made, and a lot of surprises happened.
Waynette Goodson
Yeah. And good surprises. Stuart, thank you so much for your time. And congratulations on a winning first day at market.
Stuart Carlitz
Thank you.
Waynette Goodson
First day at the buzziest showroom.
Stuart Carlitz
Wow. I love it. I love it.
Waynette Goodson
Now, you all have to keep tuning in with us because we will have more video coverage for you throughout the week.
