Everything We’re Looking Forward to at High Point Market Spring 2026

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High Point Market returns April 25 through April 29, 2026. As ever, it will bring the global home furnishings industry back to North Carolina for five days of product launches, education, and in-person connection across more than 11 million square feet of showrooms. Many designers first attended HPMKT as a buying trip, but now the programming has extended far beyond vendor visits and we are thrilled!

The events program at High Point now exceeds showroom appointments with panels that explore logistics and artificial intelligence, tours that introduce emerging designers, and conversations that spill into lounges, workshops, and late afternoon gatherings. Market still operates as a commercial hub, of course. But increasingly, it also operates as a shared workspace for the industry. At High Point, designers compare notes, firm owners grow their businesses, retailers rethink strategy, and brands test ideas.

This year, DesignDash enters that environment with a focused program built around access and participation. We can’t wait to see you all at High Point this April!

Why High Point Matters So Much to Designers

Trade fairs continue to evolve, and the design calendar is busier each year. Even within that landscape, High Point Market still leads the charge. Nearly every major American brand gathers here, while international manufacturers introduce new ideas in materials, scale, and pricing that often influence projects long after the trade show concludes. There are showroom tours, panels, lectures, podcast recordings, fun fêtes, and so much more.

HPMKT Meets Designers Where They Are

In comparison to other trade shows, this combination gives Market its lasting importance. Designers are not only viewing finished rooms or styled installations but also meeting the people who impact their careers for years to come. Educational programming expands that experience further, which is valuable not just for firm owners but also for any designer who’s active in our industry. Sessions throughout the week address supply chain visibility, retail operations, emerging technology, and the many very real issues that impact how firms and showrooms operate. 

Spending time at High Point might feel fun and frenzied while you’re there, but it has a lasting impact on how designers approach their work after they have returned home. You tour showrooms and attend book signings; these are “big moments” in your Market experience. But even brief exchanges between peers can influence how studios structure projects or communicate value to their clients. 

Those conversations often happen unexpectedly and organically, which simply can’t happen online unless you’re part of a curated community. You might run into someone you met years ago while waiting for a shuttle, or sit down next to another designer during a panel and end up exchanging ideas about pricing, sourcing, or hiring. Market creates space for those interactions because everyone is there for the same reason: to learn, to connect, and to better understand where the industry is heading. 

That has absolutely been the DesignDash team’s experience at HPMKT time and time again. Each season is unique yet reliably useful at the same time.

How to Approach High Point If You’re a First-Timer

One thing the DesignDash team has learned over multiple visits to High Point is that preparation matters, but you don’t necessarily need a minute-by-minute schedule. What helps a whole lot more is arriving with a clear sense of what you want to accomplish during the week, whether that means sourcing for active projects, meeting new vendors, or assessing trends, or learning from industry experts, or connecting with other firm owners who understand where you’re coming from.

And because Market’s campus is huge, any degree of clarity is incredibly helpful. Most designers quickly realize they can’t see everything, and trying to do so usually leads to unnecessary backtracking between buildings. Planning showroom visits by general location tends to make the days more manageable and leaves room for conversations that inevitably run longer than expected.

To that point, organize your schedule using the High Point Market app instead of relying solely on your notes. The app will help you keep track of overlapping events and showroom appointments so you can catch that book signing and that podcast recording without neglecting any project-focused appointments. Leave a little bit of time between scheduled stops or at the end of the day so you can revisit a showroom, follow up on a peer’s recommendation, edit your schedule, or simply sit down and compare notes with someone you met earlier in the day.

Further streamline your Market experience by working with showroom reps ahead of arrival. Larger showrooms can feel overwhelming without guidance, especially when collections span multiple floors. Reaching out in advance allows reps to introduce pieces that actually relate to current projects. Better yet, sign up for a tour or two!

Last but not least, figure out how you want to document the HPMKT experience before your plane touches down. Quick phone photos, short videos, and informal notes will be what you rely on weeks later when presenting options to clients or reviewing purchasing decisions with their teams. They’ll also be a huge boon to your firm’s marketing materials; everyone loves a HPMKT recap email or Instagram carousel. But no one remembers every detail after several full days of appointments, so having a visual record makes a real difference once everyone is back in the studio.

Attend Our Pre-Market Coffee Chat to Prep for HPMKT

The DesignDash High Point Market experience actually starts weeks before anyone boards a flight. On February 25th, a live Pre-Market Coffee Chat will bring attendees together on Zoom for an open Q&A session. Participants can ask logistical questions, compare schedules, or Meeting a few people ahead of Market makes the first day feel far less overwhelming. Instead of navigating introductions from scratch, attendees arrive recognizing names and faces they will likely see again throughout the week. 

High Point Market’s Ashley Grigg, Vice President of Strategic Growth & Partnerships, will join us to help demystify the Market and set you up for a great experience. Market will always be busy, and schedules inevitably change once you arrive. Still, a little preparation beforehand makes it easier to adjust plans without feeling super scattered once the week begins.

This event is free, and you can RSVP through the Google Form here.

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Other Marquis Events to Attend at Market

• Welcome Cocktails and Community Meet-Up on April 25th 
• Vanguard Furniture Workshop on the 26th 
• Meet the Makers Tour on the 27th

We’ll provide more information about these events in our pre-Market coffee chat, so please RSVP to attend!

Through-Lines in Programming at High Point This Season

If you skim the schedule for Spring 2026, you’ll see one particular theme repeat over and over: operations. But the programming around this theme is anything but boring (thank goodness). Many of the podcast recordings, lectures, and panels this season are right at the intersection of what designers want (beautiful product, better vendors, stronger client relationships) and what firm owners struggle with (lead times, delivery damage, cash flow, communication breakdowns). You can see that in the cluster of logistics sessions on Friday, April 24, from “Last Impressions: Protecting Your Brand at the Customer’s Doorstep” through “Turning Logistics Chaos into Customer Confidence,” plus the AI supply chain session that afternoon.

AI and Tech

The other obvious through-line is AI and tech, but this season’s schedule focuses a lot more on actual applications than the awestruck theorizing that occupied previous years. There are several sessions framing AI as a tool for visibility, communication, and retail adaptation, including “Beyond the Container Rate: Using AI to Optimize Furniture Supply Chains” and “The End of the Static Showroom: AI, Visualization, and the Adaptive Store.” 

Even if you don’t plan to use AI in your firm tomorrow, these talks help you understand what your vendor partners and retail clients are starting to adopt. You might be vehemently against integrating artificial intelligence into a creative, human-focused practice, but understanding what other people are using is key to keeping your firm competitive.

Clarity Around Revenue and Pipelines

A third thread is revenue clarity, especially for firm owners who are tired of messy pipelines that fail to generate ideal PNCs. There are multiple sessions centered on pricing, client alignment, and business structure, from “The Cost of the Wrong Client And How to Stop Paying It” to “The Profitable Studio Formula: Scale Your Design Practice the Right Way,” plus panels like “Six Figure Snafus”. 

Community as a Business Strategy

Perhaps most relevant to DesignDash members, “Community as a Business Strategy” on April 25th reflects the fact that none of us reach our full potential or our firm’s growth goals in isolation. Community is key to success, which is why we should treat it much more like professional infrastructure than a “nice to have.” 

Community is at the core of what we do at DesignDash, but High Point is also hosting a separate panel this season that captures our mission. Hosted by Crystorama at IHFC Hamilton (Floor 2, H241), the Saturday afternoon panel “Community as a Business Strategy” brings together designers DuVäl Reynolds, Jaclyn Isaac, and Nikki Watson. Moderated by Antonio Deloatch, this conversation will underscore how relationships shape opportunity in our industry. The discussion focuses on how intentional networks of peers, collaborators, and brand partners support both creative development and business momentum, particularly in an industry built as much on trust as on talent.

That idea resonates strongly with how many firm owners experience High Point itself. The appointments and product launches matter, of course, but the conversations surrounding them are just as important. That’s especially true if you’re a seasoned attendee instead of a first-timer. 

Join Us at High Point and In the DesignDash Community

What the Crystorama panel addresses on stage is how to build a reliable professional network instead of relying on occasional industry encounters. A single Market week can introduce valuable relationships, but without structure, those connections fade after everyone has returned to their “real lives,” so to speak.

The DesignDash Community exists to extend that momentum beyond Market. Members are not starting from zero when they arrive in High Point. They already have shared context, ongoing conversations, and people to ask all the business questions we feel awkward asking strangers in showrooms. Discussions around pricing, hiring, workflow, or vendor management continue long after panels have concluded inside our Mighty platform. Leaving High Point in April doesn’t mean siloing yourself in the studio. You’re leaving an amazing event, yes, but you’re coming home to an incredible Community!

For a better idea of what the DesignDash Community is all about, be sure to attend our free February 25 Pre-Market Coffee Chat! And many thanks to the ongoing support that our sponsor High Point Market provides DesignDash Community members.

Written by the DesignDash Editorial Team
Our contributors include experienced designers, firm owners, design writers, and other industry professionals. If you’re interested in submitting your work or collaborating, please reach out to our Editor-in-Chief at editor@designdash.com.