Tenants -- which include many of the nation's top furniture makers -- are expected to begin moving into the massive 1.3 million-square-foot first building on June 1.

On July 25, the first Las Vegas market will open to an industry crowd buzzing over the Entertainment Capital of the World's addition to the high-dollar world of buying and selling furniture.

Dave Palmer, a furniture industry veteran and general manager of the World Market Center, said project developers are committed to making the market worthy of both the industry's expectations and those of Las Vegas officials hoping to capitalize on the momentum.

Palmer, however, remains aware that until the first market opens there are more questions about the project than answers.

Question: Since the World Market Center got under way -- or at least since your arrival here -- what's been the biggest surprise in the development of the Las Vegas market?

Answer: I've been here 3 1/2 years, and I guess the biggest surprise -- I never doubted the project because the concept was just so strong -- happened over time and that was the way it kind of took on a life of its own. We've expanded it. We've accelerated it ... The industry at large -- the furnishings industry at large -- embraces the concept. We're not dealing with all those segments of the industry, but they've all expressed an interest in it. That was a surprise. I thought that would happen, but I thought it would be after we had our first market. In the last year and a half or two, it's taken on a life of its own. It's bigger, brighter, better, faster than we ever could have imagined.

How do you think the furniture industry perceives the World Market Center?

There's always been a West Coast regional market in San Francisco. But the building was small. There was under a million square feet rentable. It was also old and tired. It wasn't a very exciting place for furnishing. So a lot of dealers, if they went, they went once a year instead of twice a year -- if they went at all. So there was kind of a built-in audience for having a new, state-of-the-art facility that's going to be here in Las Vegas, because everybody loves Las Vegas. We thought it was going to be a regional market, but we thought the boundaries would move out a little bit in the region, if you will. We also felt that the national buyers would come because they go to the significant shows anyway. And we thought we would have some international interest.

High Point, N.C., is a unique event, but with attendees renting rooms from homeowners to compensate for the lack of hotel rooms, traffic problems and scattered exhibit space, can High Point compete with Las Vegas?

The major show is in High Point. It's a very difficult show to get to. It's 11 or 12 million square feet of product. It's in 140, or some say 180, buildings, and I don't know how you can count the number of buildings. It's one of those things. It's very tough to get around. It's very tough for an exhibitor to see the buyers that are there unless you are in one of the main buildings. If they are in one of the 138 other buildings they don't see so many people. So they are excited to come to our market because they'll see every buyer because they are all going to walk every floor. There's no back hallways. There's a course on every floor. Virtually every buyer is going to walk by every showroom. It's a very powerful statement. I think the buyers like it, and I think the exhibitors are excited about it. Honestly, I don't think they know what's in store for them, because they go to High Point and they see dozens of people -- maybe 150 people. They're saying there're 100,000 people (in High Point). Where are they? So it's up to their representatives to beg their dealer to come and see them. If it's in an odd building, they might run out of time before they get over there.

The organizers of the High Point market continue to describe Las Vegas as a regional market, discounting any competition it might present for their show. I have heard you describe the Las Vegas market as a national or international show. Which is it?

It's not starting out as a regional market. We started out as a regional market but the industry wouldn't let us. You have to give credit to our developers. They are listening to this and reacting to it. This is not meant to compete against High Point or supplant High Point. High Point is one of those unusual things that's built over decades. It evolves. We're rather trying to let the industry paint on our canvas. With our leasing our second building and third building and so on, we're letting the industry tell us where they want us to go with their interest.

High Point representatives also have made the claim that Las Vegas is a place where people come to play, but no real business gets done here. Is High Point taking Las Vegas seriously?

We set out to exploit, and I use that phrase "exploit" positively, Las Vegas for the home furnishings industry. Are they taking Las Vegas seriously? You bet. They've done a lot of things to make it better for buyers (in High Point) with transportation, parking -- things like that. I think they're taking it very seriously.

When In Business spoke to to the developers of World Market Center early in the development of World Market Center, they said it was critical that the first market be a success. What steps are being taken to ensure that success?

It's daunting. Everyone gets a snapshot in their mind of a world-class market in Las Vegas. Give me a break. How do you achieve that snapshot? There will be some things that we are doing that people can't imagine ... Buyers are creatures of routine. They go to the same showrooms on the same day and eat the same M&Ms out of the same bowl at the same time on the Thursday of that market. It's just how they do it. Here, nobody has a routine. So, how do you manage that? We're going to have concierge people at the airport ... So they can tell them what their options are and allay their fears when they look outside and see 200 people in the cab line. You and I know that it moves rather quickly. But if you don't know that, you're not going to want to get into that line ... That's one way -- to kill them with kindness. The food service ... we want to offer food that you would go out of your way to get.

Are exhibitors taking advantage of the excitement of a new market to make a splash or are they entering the market cautiously?

We have said to the exhibitors that you have license to live up to that. This is Las Vegas, you can get a little nuts if you want to. Virtually every exhibitor is bringing out new product. I point that out because regional markets, they have some new products but not everyone brings out new product. The major companies only bring out new product at the spring and fall market in High Point. At this market they have all agreed to bring out new products, and we didn't have to beg 'em. New product is the essence of a good market. That's what a buyer is looking for -- new and exciting product. I will predict that it's going to work for them. Everybody's going to come to this first market, and you alluded to the first market and how important it is. If they see a lot of new and exciting product, they can't help themselves and they are going to buy it. If Broyhill, for example, sells that new collection really well, what are they going to do at the next market? Are they going to lay low? No. They are going to bring out new product ... This will become a new-product market.

Do you think there is any risk in having the first market in the July heat?

I don't think it's a risk. It could be uncomfortable for people who aren't accustomed to it. However, everything is air conditioned. All the buses are. All the buildings are ... We're going to have transportation everywhere.

With the weather factor, do you predict that the January market will be the bigger annual market?

This is a new market. We don't know what to expect. I think so many people are excited about this new market, they will be coming in July. Will we achieve the same numbers in January? I certainly hope so. If we don't disappoint them when they are here in July, they are going to want to come back and they are going to bring people with them. I think it will be a self-perpetuating kind of attendance.

How will rent compare for tenants in Las Vegas compared with High Point and Mississippi?

It depends on who you talk to. It's more expensive here. Some of the more contemporary buildings in High Point have a rent structure not all that different from what we are because they are new buildings and they have to pay for them. However, at large we are typically more expensive than it is in High Point. Tupelo (Miss.) is a very inexpensive market. The buildings are all big, almost warehouse-type buildings. They are OK inside, but they are just one level, large-volume buildings. They would cost a fraction of what it would cost to do here. But it is a whole different audience, kind of a promotional products market. What it really boils down to is the marketing experience. We are marketing the event. We are a marketing and a service company. We are a landlord last. We produce the markets. We spend millions of dollars for producing these markets for our exhibitors and the buyers that come. So there has to be a value. That's the bottom line. At the end of the day ... they have to be doing enough business for it to be practical.

Now the rent is only where it begins for a manufacturer. They have all their people they bring to town to put up for as much as three weeks. They do a lot of hospitality. They serve food in their showrooms. One of the companies has a top 10 chef of Las Vegas to serve lunch ... There's so many other expenses ... At the end of their market, did it cost more to be here or somewhere else? It might have cost a little more to be here but if their volume was better than it cost less because it was a value.

We have already seen some business come to Las Vegas citing the market as a key attraction. What peripheral economic development do you predict cropping up around the market?

I think Las Vegas is a very exciting place in many ways. The way the population is going is very exciting. It's very business friendly. It's very personal. We've had a handful of companies already move here with sizable facilities. I think that's just the nose under the tent. I think what we do will spawn a lot of other commerce along that line ... It makes a whole lot of sense. I think we haven't even seen that begin yet.

The Related Cos., which also is involved in plans for the city's 61-acre parcel, has joined the management group for the World Market Center. How has that changed the plans for coming phases of the project?

It hasn't changed the plans, but once they joined us their resources became tremendous. They developed the Time Warner Center in Manhattan. They know how to do high-density urban development at the highest level. It's different than that, but that's the kind of thing that we are doing here on this property. For the Related Cos. to join us did accelerate our ability to get things done and have resources.

How are plans progressing for future phases?

I think a huge challenge for us it to control the burn. Honestly, we are more reactive than proactive when it comes to our leasing efforts. By that I mean we are still trying to satisfy people who have contacted us and want space as opposed to prospecting, if you will. Yes, we go out there and say hello to a lot of people and they want to know about our project. But we are trying to stay focused and not try to be too much for too many people ... It's an amazing project. We can get ahead of ourselves if we're not careful.

What has been the response from the hotel and gaming industry to the addition of the market, particularly in light of the July schedule, considering that it traditionally is a slow period on the Strip?

I think they are, and I hope they are, excited. We're still an unknown. What they get from us is, "Here's who we are and here's what we're going to bring to Las Vegas." It's not like we exist yet. However, we are dealing for room blocks ... As we've blocked rooms we've been able to go back and get more rooms. I think they are very interested in us. If we're for real they are waiting to see if this is going to be something important. But I think we have their attention. Once we host that first market, once they recognize the cut-above kind of crowd -- these are store owners, well-paid representatives and factory owners -- they will definitely embrace our project.

Kevin Rademacher is a reporter for In Business Las Vegas and its sister publication, the Las Vegas Sun. He can be reached at (702) 259-4069 or by e-mail at kevinr@lasvegassun.com.