World Market Center is an integrated home and hospitalitycontract furnishings showroom and convention complex in Las Vegas,a place where designers and manufacturers lease space to show offtheir latest products to retailers and other wholesale buyers.World Market Center LLC last week completed its largest event todate, with exhibitors occupying more than 3.8 million sf ofpermanent and temporary exhibit space in the region. The eventincluded 250 new exhibitors and more than 50,000 attendees,including a 27% jump in the number of international buyers.

The World Market Center complex was conceived by real estatedevelopers Jack Kashani and Shawn Samson in 1999. In 2004, theybrought on the Related Cos. LP of New York to help finance thedevelopment. The 1.3-million-sf first building opened in July 2005.The $345-million, 1.6-milion-sf second building was completed atthe start of 2007. The third building, the largest yet at 2.1million sf, got under way in October with about 25% of the buildinghaving been preleased.

The developers now say that "virtually every space in Building Chas been spoken for through signed leases and commitments." Inaddition to new leases signed or being negotiated by the likes ofLexington, Sligh Furniture, Mohawk, Mark Roberts, and Pacific CoastLighting, the mix in the third building includes companies such asAICO, Standard, and Coaster that will relocate from the first twobuildings in order to expand their showrooms, according to thedevelopers.