Market Planning Quick Guide

Follow these seven steps to get from home to showroom – and back – with ease

From scheduling your flight and reserving your rooms to finding the showrooms, seminars and events you want to see, and getting around town, a successful Market trip does require some pre-planning. Here’s how to make your preparations as simple and cost-effective as possible.

1. Don’t Forget to Register!

Trust us, it happens. You book your flights and hotel, arrive in High Point excited to start shopping showrooms, step into your first building, and BAM. You don’t have your pass. In all the anticipation, you forgot to sign up! So first things first. If you haven’t already, register for passes.

PRO TIP: Hotels fill up early – make your reservations as soon as possible.

2. Getting There

Planes, trains and automobiles are all at your service to get you into High Point. At highpointmarket.org drivers can find rental car discounts and directions at Plan Your Trip. If you’d rather ride the rails, go to www.ncbytrain.org or call AMTRAK at 800.872.7245.

Guests flying in have the advantage of choosing between three airports: Piedmont Triad (GSO), Raleigh-Durham (RDU) and Charlotte/Douglas (CLT). Check the Airport Information page for airline discount offerings. Each one of the three airports is served by our free airport shuttle service, so you can choose the one that works best for your budget and schedule. One thing to keep in mind: If you choose RDU or CLT, you must reserve your shuttle online.

3. Accommodations

Whether you’re looking for a luxury resort experience, a budget hotel stay, or even a private home, High Point Market has a room for you. Check the Hotels page in the Plan Your Trip section for rates, contact information, and check the Hotel Shuttles page for free hotel shuttle times.

A private home can be an excellent option if you’re coming to Market as part of a group. Visit the Private Home Rentals page to see information for renting an entire home – or check the Airbnb listing for available rooms. Be sure to call more than one private home rental company – the cost varies widely from location to location.

4. Plan Your Market Visit Online - Save It to MyMarket

With MyMarket, you can search for exhibitors by name, product category, and building, filter by price point and service, and investigate exhibitors' full profiles. You can see the shuttle stop for every showroom. You can review all educational and social events. Plus, you can save your selections to your personal Market plan.

If you’re an iPhone user, you can keep your plan in the palm of your hand with the High Point Market App (available in the App Store). Plus, you’ll enjoy blue dot navigation from building to building and for every showroom inside IHFC, 220 Elm, Center Point on Hamilton, Center Point on Manning, Center Point on Centennial, and Center Point on Russell. For Android users, our mobile-friendly website gives you ready access to your MyMarket plan anytime, anywhere.

5. Make Appointments

Market is officially open from 8am - 7pm Saturday - Tuesday, Wednesday 8am - 5pm. Whenever you choose to visit, our exhibitors want to make sure you have the best possible experience, so it’s always a good idea to set up your appointments before you get to town. Plus, some exhibitors choose to open their showrooms a day early, on Friday. So we strongly recommend scheduling appointments for any showrooms you intend to visit outside of these officially published hours.

6. Getting Around

If you drive in to Market, be sure to take full advantage of our two Park & Ride lots. Both offer free parking and free shuttle service to and from the downtown Transportation Terminal.

It really isn’t necessary to bring your car, though. The free airport and hotel shuttles will take you right to the Transportation Terminal, where you can catch free shuttles to any Market showroom and event. You can also grab a free ride to almost any off-campus venue. Our Go Anywhere shuttles will take you to any location within a 6 mile radius of the Transportation Terminal.

PRO TIP: Save your dress shoes for special events, and wear something comfortable to get from place to place.

7. If You Don’t DIY…

Nervous about planning everything yourself? Let someone else do it. Our partner travel agency, Travel Quest Inc., will handle everything for you, from flights and trains to airport shuttle and lodging reservations. Think of Travel Quest Inc. as your Market concierge, offering convenience, local knowledge, and sage advice for first-time guests and Market veterans alike. Give them a call at 336.434.3867 or email hpmarket@travelquestinc.com to get a jumpstart on your trip.

PRO TIP: International guests can call Travel Quest Inc. for travel services, and visit our International Buyers Center for onsite services such as currency exchange.

Sure, there are a lot of moving parts to planning your Market tour, but these seven steps should keep it from getting too difficult. Oh – one final tip – remember that we’re always here to help. If you have any questions or need assistance, just call us at 336.869.1000.