With 13 blocks of home furnishings, over 2,000 studios and showrooms, and a calendar full of events and educational sessions, High Point Market can feel overwhelming to first-time attendees. Don’t let the magnitude intimidate you. With a few pointers from an expert, you can customize your High Point experience to get the most from this one-of-a-kind industry showcase.

In this episode, Gail talks with Tammy Covington Nagem, chief executive officer, High Point Market Authority in High Point, North Carolina. Tammy has been with the organization for 22 years, first as director of operations, then as chief operating officer. She assumed the role of CEO last year when the previous CEO retired.

Tammy said that one of her main areas of focus as the new CEO is the importance of the guest experience. She not only wants to attract new attendees, she also wants to ensure that all other attendees come away feeling that their visit was worth their time and money so that they will come back again.

At the heart of the Market experience is the connection between the people and the product. Home furnishings, she said, are something best experienced in person. “We are here to connect the buyer and the seller,” she said. Part of that connection is providing the seller the opportunity to tell the story behind the product, which is a crucial component of its value.

In recent years, interior designers have become a more essential customer at Market. “Consumers are understanding the value a designer brings,” said Tammy. That translates to value for the manufacturer or vendor. Designers have an opportunity to discover products that they otherwise might not find elsewhere. It can set them apart from the competition who don’t attend.

Gail asked Tammy what her advice was for designers who are thinking of attending Market for the first time. She said,

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• Register early. First-time attendees must go through a qualifying process to be able to register. Once registered, you will receive a series of emails that will walk you through all the steps you need to plan and prepare for your visit.
  
• Use the Market’s concierge service to book your hotel accommodations. Their highly knowledgeable staff will help you get the best booking for your needs. Don’t fear the lack of hotel rooms on other websites – those have simply been reserved for you already!
  
• Sign up for a half-day tour to get an overview of Market and helpful tips from a seasoned attendee.
  
• Leave time for discovery. Don’t over-schedule yourself the first time out. Allowing yourself time to explore can lead to some incredible finds.
  

On the practical side, Tammy urged attendees to bring a different pair of comfortable shoes for each day they will be on site. She also described how to set up the Market app to help navigate onsite and keep track of sessions and events. For more helpful tips from Tammy and Gail, listen to the entire podcast.

If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, see the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s10e2-shownotes

Mentioned in This Podcast

For more information about the High Point Market Authority, visit the organization’s webpage at www.highpointmarket.org/hpma.

For more information about High Point Market, how to register, and planning your visit, go to the Market’s website at www.highpointmarket.org.

Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors.

Tammy, I am excited to talk to you today. This will be so much fun. And most of you that don’t know Tammy, she is the CEO of High Point Market Authority. And I see her around campus, so to speak. I’ve known you for a number of years. And I just really appreciate what you do for our industry. And I thought it would be interesting for you to share about that. But first, tell us how in the world did you end up getting into what you’re doing now? How did you get

I mean, Gail, it is a path that I guess was a very unpredictable path. actually started my career in youth serving nonprofits. I have a master’s degree in counseling of all the things and worked there for about seven years and just felt like there was more out there that I

You know, needed to explore and I grew up in a furniture family. My dad worked for Bassett furniture for 36 years. And so I always say I have, I do have sawdust in my veins. grew up in Henry County, Virginia. And so, you know, everyone I knew worked in furniture. And so was given an opportunity to work for a previous mayor.

who was at the time the president of the market authority and she was starting this organization and said, look, I need somebody who can keep balls in the air. And we had worked together on some projects with some civic groups in town. And he said, I don’t really know much about this, but I think you might be great at it. So why don’t you come and work with me? So 22 years ago, I made that leap out

the nonprofit world into kind of furniture where I felt very much at home and needless to say, I think when the market bug bites you, lots of folks, I feel like get into this industry and into this event and stay for a long time. So I’m definitely one of those. Well, it’s really great to see you.

gone through a couple of different roles with the organization. Now you’re the head honcho. Yeah, Yeah, I started out as director of operations and then was promoted to chief operating officer and spent 11 years as COO. And then, you know, when our current president decided it was time to retire.

had some conversations with our board and interviewed for the role and was very excited to be offered this job. I think after sitting at number two for so many years, you recognize the importance of this organization and leading this organization. And so it’s something I take very seriously every day. How different is your role from COO to CEO?

You know it’s funny because i think that was my biggest fear was that i was gonna get this promotion and they were gonna sit me down in this chair and they were gonna say okay now you’re do this job in the job you had before but i’ve worked i’ve kind of restructured the team and worked hard to make sure that i that i was able to get kind of

a higher viewpoint and work at a different level. And so while I remember the days of doing brochure delivery and all those things, I am able to lean into the parts of this that I really love, which is

more of the strategic thinking, the fundraising at the state level, the being involved in our community to ensure that, know, High Point is, you know, that we’re all pulling in the same direction for this event. So it is very different. And I think that’s by design. Well, it’s fun to run things. I think thinking is a fun thing, especially if you have those natural talents. And it seems like you do.

I think it’s going to be interesting to see too how you apply that knowledge that you have and the skills and all of that background to changing what High Point Market is doing. And I’m sure we’ll see some changes under your leadership and not to say anything in the past was not good. It was always great. I just think everyone has a chance to put their own stamp on it. So that’s really exciting. Yeah, I’ve spent a lot of time really

Working on that the guest experience out of what we do and I think at the core of what the market authority is charged with is not only the marketing and the making sure we have the right people coming to market, but you learn pretty quickly. And I think I learned early in this job that we can recruit new buyers, new designers to come to High Point all day long if we are not retaining those folks and they aren’t finding

to be something that’s good for their business and something that they feel connected to and that they need to come back every six months. All the recruiting in the world is not gonna help if we’re not able to really keep people coming back. And so that is where I cut my teeth, I would say, in this organization. And so I think as you see things unfold, you’re gonna see that at the heart of what we’re doing.

That is such a great idea. I think that’s one thing that is becoming top of mind for a lot of companies today is client experience in all aspects. And that’s true for designers too. They need to think about that for their clients. That is the definition and the difference that they can bring to whatever they’re doing. It’s interesting. We spend a lot of time in journey mapping on our team is really looking

that designer experience from the point that they read something or hear about high point or a colleague tells them about it or they’re on social media. What does that journey look like from the minute they are peaked by the interest until they’re going home after they’re leaving high point? So through that whole life cycle and all the touch points that we have to make a difference in that process and ensuring when they sit back down at their desk, they say, you know

I’m a better designer. I’m a better business person. It was worth my time and my money. And I’m to go ahead and register for the next market. We feel like those are important things and a place where we need to spend time working. It’s interesting. I’ve been, when I was a designer, I’d never came to High Point. And the first time I came to High Point was in this industry, in this business.

And it was somewhere around 11 or 12 years ago. And I’ve been coming to market twice a year ever since then. And it took me a long time to figure out what is the purpose for me being there. And I think that’s an interesting one too. And I’m going to put this in your hoppers to think about those of us who are essentially, I think of myself as a partner to High Point because we bring a lot of our clients there. We set up meetings there. And so we also have a journey as well. So I’ll give you

or food for thought. Absolutely. that while I would say we certainly focus on the retailer and the designer, we also talk about the exhibitors and the reps and people like yourself, those who come here because you were part of this industry and contributing in a different way because we want every, you know, that one of the best parts about market is that the whole industry is here.

It’s not just one segment. And so all of that is very important to us. we consider those, we consider all those past types for us is what we talk about. All of those folks when they’re coming to High Point. That’s so good. Yeah. In fact, I was having a conversation with Ashley Grigg and Ashley is in charge of partnerships.

that title right now. we were chatting about the passes because she’s in the the throes of getting a new passes and set up. Yes. Yes. Oh my gosh, what a big job that is. You’ve got 75 ,000 people that are on your list that could be attending a market. So yes, major change. I think you know, the back end of things are the parts again, for my operational background, because

I’ve had Ashley, I’ve done Ashley’s job. And just the data side and the process side, people feel like getting a pass in the mail is just kind of getting a pass in the mail. There is so much that goes into that, that passion colored envelope, as we call it, arriving on your desk with your passes in it. There is so much that goes into that and, and

One would argue it’s one of the most important parts of what we do because without that piece, know, Ashley’s job sort of we’ve we have three vice presidents, marketing and communication. It’s Ben Mueller and then Ashley’s strategic growth and partnerships and Terry Venable, whose operations and finance actually kind of sits in the center because what she does feeds both sides. And so the other two have no purpose.

if her part doesn’t work. you know, that centerpiece with is really mining out who comes here, the data behind it, the processes by which you get here is very important. And we’re very excited about having a new vendor. But any time you do that, we’ve been with the same folks since 2009.

So this is a major change for us, Gail. Again, it looks like just a pass, but we hope everyone gives us a little bit of grace for October as we are stretching our legs with some new folks. Well, I just wanted to bring that up because I think you all are unsung heroes. You’re quietly behind the scenes setting up everything to make this an experience that helps the industry. And this impacts the whole state of North Carolina by two billion.

Plus I think it has $6 .7 billion a year. Yeah. lot of money. Yeah. It’s the heart of the furniture industry. So for those that have not been to market, it’s an experience and there are what 2000 showrooms and a half million square feet, I believe are the stats. Yes. Yes. You got that. Absolutely right. Well, good. I often get those details wrong.

You know, I say all the time, I’m measurement challenged. Unlike you all who are in the design business, that’s never an issue, but it’s 201 football fields of home furnished. Fabulous, I’m furnishing. So, I mean, for me, 11 and a half million square feet sounds like something I can’t really wrap my arms around, but 201 football fields, my feet feel it already. So remember to wear your very comfy shoes. That’s right. And as our friend, Chris Barber says, bring a different shoe.

a pair of shoes for every day. Every day. That’s right. That is the trick. You have to change. cannot wear the same pair two days in a row. And our motto is we look good from the ankles up. that’s so funny. Well.

Gosh, I didn’t know. I’ll keep that mind tonight. That’s it. mean, I can’t be responsible for because, you know, when your feet hurt, everything’s wrong. I just feel like my feet have to feel OK. Yeah, but don’t wear your Jimmy Choo’s orange stilettos. It’s absolutely not the right pair of shoes for market. right. Keep those for dinner. yeah. Maybe. Yeah. Keep those for dinner. Right. But not the cocktail party. No.

Well, let’s talk about some of the changes you’ve seen happen. 22 years is quite a while in the industry. is. Generations in terms of what has happened. So what have you seen change over this course of time? know, Gail, when you mentioned this question, I started just sort of making myself a list of all the major things that have happened since I’ve been here. My first market was the first market after 9 -11.

My gosh. And so the security plans, you know, all the things that we put in place to be able to make sure this international event was a safe place for you all to come. You know, there have been offshoring and anti -dumping and a major recession and House Bill 2 in North Carolina, which, you

really changed a lot of people’s perception about our state and not for the good. and most recently tip over. I mean, really in the last 20 years, there’ve been some major both world events as well as industry issues that have really shaped, I feel like home furnishings as we see it today.

And our organization has, we’re sort of like that willow tree that bends and moves through the storms, but remains steadfast in making sure that we are here to connect the buyer and the seller. And while we may need to pivot and we, it may mean that that processes or operations change temporarily to be able

to make sure we’re handling things at the end of the day, staying very focused on connecting that buyer and seller in a meaningful way really hasn’t changed in all those years. The buyer and seller has changed, but the need for that has not. Well, specifically since one of the major things that we all experience worldwide, COVID, how has that changed the industry?

COVID was, first of all, it canceled a market for only the second time in a hundred plus years. The only other time market had been canceled was during World War II, when they took IHFC and turned it into the records division for the army. I mean, this was unprecedented. And so COVID happens

The consumer world wakes up to our industry and buys furniture like they haven’t in so many years. So we had this major need for a market. So we immediately go to Raleigh and start talking to the governor’s office about how can we have a market? How can we do this? And so we only missed one. We had a market in October of 2020. We did 3000 temperature checks a day.

And you might remember expanded market over nine days and there were three three day periods. And so as a show, as an event, I would say it it really I think exemplified the resilience of of our city to make sure we were able to have a market. The other thing was this realization

This industry is one who a likes to come together and we missed each other. You saw that afterwards. And this product is something that is best experienced in person. You need to sit on it. You need to fill the fabric. You need to hear the story from the person who designed that. And so.

I feel like while we maybe all got a little more comfortable with technology, we’re used to seeing a showroom tour now virtually. At the end of the day, I think home furnishings is still something that we see the need for a market because we want to buy by being with the people who made it, designed

and at the end of the day, hear the story behind it so that you all as designers can communicate that to your client. And that’s best done here in High Point. It’s so true. And I just think about how different the world would be if we didn’t have that opportunity to actually see things. know we have, you know, even Amazon is dabbling in parts of the design industry and it seems like every celebrity is getting into some aspect of it as well.

And in the end, you’re right. It’s about relationships. The relationships are critical. just think about, for me, ever even think about retirement, I don’t even know if I can. Because I can’t leave the industry because I enjoy the relationships that I have. So. It’s, you know, coming back together and even after COVID, I feel like this was so amplified is that

We missed people. we missed, you know, our team did these videos that we sent out to you all. feel like we were sitting here in this empty city. Like, please come back. Like we missed those relationships. You’re absolutely right. And, and this industry is still and again, I, you know, go back to having sort of grown up in this is that I feel like that’s the piece that really has remained strong is

is that we at the end of the day want to learn from each other. We love the networking piece. We, you know, want to be able to communicate to our client the great thing about this product. And I see designers get so excited about telling the stories that they’ve heard while in Highpoint. And that’s kind of what it’s built on. Yeah, it’s a frame with some

8 -way hand tying, but at the end of the day, it’s really built on the relationship. My dad used to say all the time that furniture was put together with cuss words and wood glue.

that’s so funny. I love that. Yeah. I love these backstories. They’re the best. Well, where do you see the industry going today and what are some of the challenges that you see ahead? You know, I think we all are concerned about retail today and what that looks like. That mid -tier retailer, you know, in many cases family owned businesses.

In many cases, maybe a second generation that’s not necessarily excited about taking the reins. And so I think buying and selling furniture looks different today than it has. And you think about the next generation, how they will purchase furniture. Certainly online is a big part of that, but also this sort of experiential whole home.

It’s just, someone said to me the other day, if you’ve met one designer, you’ve met one designer. Like it’s so different how you all run your businesses and what that means for the buying trend. How, you know, is that a, is that an interior designer who has a studio or maybe has a retail store or maybe.

You know is working around her kitchen table. It’s it’s there all over the map. And then you couple that with you know product that. We’re not buying heirlooms as much anymore we’re not passing down product so I feel like we’re in this state of change that we’re all sort of looking to where does this land and where is that.

where is that middle ground of how things will be bought and sold? And that, I think it’s not only furniture, I think it’s consumer goods in general, but furniture tends to have had this long history that it pretty much worked the same for so many years. And now we are seeing a lot of change, not only post COVID, but just with a new generation coming along and looking at

different ways. What does AI, how is AI going to impact that? so I do feel like we’re sort of at this pivotal point of what it looks like tomorrow. If I had the answer to that, Gail, I would be a rich woman. But I think we’re all sort of looking at that in our own businesses. How do you see a high point market authorities role affecting and evolving

to meet these changes.

I think at the core of what we do is is that piece of making your business better and that is for anyone who comes here. Certainly the buyer when you know and that for us is designers retailers architects specifiers all those folks. And so whatever that means we have got to be diligent about providing the tools that it takes to do that and really

doing that in a very efficient way, in a very productive way, and working with our exhibitors also to make sure that they understand what the customers need. you know, those decision -making processes are so important. I still stand by when someone goes back to their desk, they have to say coming to High Point was

worth my time and effort. so all those changes are going to impact what what we’re looking at. know, things like we’re spending a lot of dollars on our app right now. And that has changed drastically in the past 10 years. But, you know, what do you need on the ground to navigate 13 blocks of furnishings Disneyland? And so

looking at what those things are, whether it’s being able to very quickly tell when’s that next bus coming or who’s designer friendly or if you liked this product, maybe these education sessions are something you should look at, really serving up that information when you need it and the way you want it. And that’s what we’re working hard

That’s great. Well, speaking of, you’re talking about designer friendly, and it’s not been that many years since designers were welcomed to market. It’s been in the time that I’ve been attending market. So how did this openness come about and how do you see that evolving in the future? Yeah, I’ll tell you early in my career, I took those calls from designers who were upset because they were turned away at the door or

Manufacturers just weren’t prepared to sell to them. And boy, have we seen that shift happen. We have seen our exhibitors really understand the kind of buying power that designers bring. And I think at the end of the day, that’s what really flipped the switch was consumers are understanding the value that a designer brings.

And it’s now not only just for the wealthy now, you know, designers are, are utilized it. It all feels so much more attainable to us these days than maybe it did 20 years ago. And I think, yeah, you know, things like HGTV has made us realize how much better that can look if you get someone who knows what they’re doing. And

As a result of that, the manufacturers have had to really make a plan for how they sell to the design trade. And we watched this sort of happen over time. And, you know, we have a filter on our website that is designer friendly. so watching there for a while, manufacturers would be choosing that, but really not have a program for you. They just wanted to make sure you came in.

But we are seeing them certainly look now at this sector as an important part of their business and embrace it. They are designing product for you. They are designing processes so that it meets your needs in terms of how you sell as a non -stocking customer. And so we are definitely seeing that change even so much.

many of these exhibitors doing education in their showrooms that are continuing education credits for the design trade and really embracing what that designer brings. It has changed the face of this market for the better. It doesn’t mean we don’t love our retailers and want to make sure that they are still getting what they need out of market, but it has certainly meant for the event itself.

It has changed the face of what we’re doing. And I think the manufacturers have followed suit to make sure that they’re getting your business as well. Yes. And I would say that even our relationship with the vendors over the course of the years has changed quite a bit. We do go to the showrooms and give educational events because for us, it’s the way to give back, it’s the way to connect with our community and to keep our networking fresh.

keep that personal connection. So really important for all of us that are in my side of the industry to be there and be a part of it. So thank you for giving us that opportunity to do more. Absolutely. I you know, it’s as we go through those processes, it’s interesting, our team kind of reaching out to designers

that we know attend High Point and passing things by them. And sometimes we’re right on and sometimes we’re not. And so, you know, those kinds of things really make a difference in knowing that we’ve made plans to produce an event that works the way you want to work. It’s very important to us. Sure. So good. Well, let’s talk about the reason why interior designers should be coming to market.

What do they get out of that experience? You know, you’re going to, I would say that’s a, we call it the three legged stool, Gail. One is product. Number one is product. You’re gonna find everything in High Point. You’re gonna find all the price points. You’re gonna find categories of furniture that you can’t find anywhere else.

We encourage designers to make a plan before they come here so they are efficient. But I also insist that they leave some time for discovery. Because a lot of times you stumble upon things here because we are, you know, across an entire downtown, you find things here that you maybe would not have had exposure to any other way. And so having

resources to pass on to your clients is important and it sets the designers who come to High Point, we would like to think are set apart from their competition who don’t attend for that reason. those products and again, I’ve talked about the stories behind it. I still think that very important is getting to see the product and interact with it on more of an intimate level.

The second is the education. I feel like we and the exhibitors here put a lot of work into making sure that it’s worth your time to be here and that you can check a couple boxes when you come to High Point. You can find that product, but you can also, if your state is one that requires those continuing education credits, that you can check some of those off while you’re in High

And the third, you mentioned it a minute ago, Gail, is the networking. You know, having conversation with folks, one of my favorite things to do is to take my name tag off and ride the bus and listen to the conversations. And I love when two designers connect and they have a lot in common and they begin sort of, they’re in two different parts of the country, so there’s no competition.

And two markets ago, I sat down on the bus, took the name tag off and rode for a little while. And these two ladies sat and talked. And at one point, you know, we have hosts and hostesses on the buses who call out the stops and those kinds of things. The hostess stopped and stopped and said, I just want to make sure what stop number are you getting off on? Because do you realize you’ve just ridden the whole loop?

And they both had just started talking to the point that they forgot to get off the bus but you can’t recreate that in other places that was worth their time doing it there feet probably feel a little better but they also connected in a way that you hear those stories all the time. You know i hear designers talk about that this is this is like an extended family and that they met people that.

During the year, they’ll pick up the phone and say, hey, I’m having trouble with this. What did you do? Have you had this problem? So that networking piece is as important, I think, as the product and the education is that you’re able to sort of build that network of people that can be there to help you as you build your business. That’s so great. Yeah.

Well, you mentioned this a few minutes ago and I was not aware of this on the app. So this is new for me and I’m glad to know that the showrooms that are friendly to the trade that you have that showing up on the app. We do. Great. There are two. There’s a designer friendly and a container only. And so you can actually sort, you know, to make sure you’re maybe filtering out if you’re not buying container, then you can sort those out.

And you can sort by those manufacturers who have gone in and self -selected, they are designer friendly. so, you know, we hope, and I will tell you, that list has gotten a lot longer over the years. When I first put designer friendly there, it was because I didn’t want you turned away. I wanted designers to be able to see that list of where they were going to be able to actually buy and not just kind of spend their wheels. And these days

list is a lot longer and probably less filtering, so to speak, on that one. But you can go in and choose your products that you’re looking for and then hit that designer friendly filter. And it actually gives you a plan by building and by bus stop. Wow. Completely planned out for you. Love that. Yeah, you can add your events to it, all those things. So and it moves between the desktop and the

My best advice is to start on the desktop because it’s a lot, you know, you can see the photos, can really experience it more in that larger format, but then it’s the same login on the app. So if you start your planning on the desktop, you then log in when you download the app and your plan moves with you. Great. And so then you have it on your phone for when you’re on site.

Well, you’ve already listed a couple of advantages now. Yeah. If a designer is new to market, my next question was, what are five things they should know before they come? And it sounds like, for sure, go look at the app and look at it on your desk and then look at it on your mobile, set up your plan. Exactly. Bring five, whatever number pair of shoes of days. That’s right. What else would you say? So I would encourage you to register early.

because we’re going to qualify you that first time that you register, get some documents from you and get you set up in our system. Once you’re registered, you then receive emails from us that help you prepare. They actually walk you through based on the weeks out. So it’s going to tell you, now it’s time to book your flights. Here’s where you need to get your hotel room. Here’s a link to the app so you start planning.

And so we walk you through that weekly, get an email that helps you prepare, but you have to register first because if you haven’t registered, we’re sending you things to try to get you registered. Once you register, you go into another bucket of emails that actually change and are not as promotional, but more planning. So registering early is good. The second is to when you do book that hotel room is to use our concierge service.

It is absolutely free. You can do it online or with a phone call. I would encourage you the first time you do it to make the call. We work with a company called Travel Quest. They have a team of people who are very educated about market and about high point and getting a good fit for that hotel. What’s ever is important to you. We run shuttles to 91 hotels, so we’ll find a place that’s good for

If you go to one of the search engines that you might just Google like an Expedia or a Travelocity, you’re gonna see rooms are blacked out. So what we get from first timers is they call and they say, I can’t get a room, there’s nothing available. They are available. It’s just they’ve taken them out of those systems. And so use what’s there for you, use that concierge and make sure you get a good fit.

because getting in a good hotel that first time is going to be important. The other thing I would say is to sign up for a tour. We have lots of veterans go, you know all about these folks who do fantastic tours and there are all kinds of ways you can do these insiders, which is for new folks or there’s hotspot, which is more product based. So, but the important thing is early on in your trip here, sign up for a half day tour.

it will be worth your time to hear from a market expert how they work this show. Pick up some good tips and I think you will find that that first time is you feel like you’ve accomplished something because you’ve been able to sort of hear from a veteran how they do it. And the last thing I would say, and I said this before, but I really feel strongly about this, is to leave that time for discovery.

Don’t schedule yourself. You know, we talk about the importance of planning. That is very important. But leave a little bit of time to say, you know what? I am going to go to the Hamilton Ren district and I’m just going to walk the streets. I’m going to get on the downtown showroom shuttle and I’m going to ride the green line and see what’s there and hop off as I see things that I, you know, you pass theater Alexander. I didn’t know they were here. So you hop off and and

Maybe go to some places that you’re unfamiliar with or that you you weren’t aware Maybe how to show room here those kinds of things that I think are the things that end up moving the needle For your business because you’ve been able to find something a little unexpected Hmm, that’s so great. Well, I think we did a pretty good job there between the two We did favorite things that right people and I’ll share one more idea which is we learned

We kind of found a rhythm for ourselves. We quit doing hotels and we rent houses. And I know you have houses to rent on the website as well. We do. And we do that because we bring a team. And if you’re bringing a team, bring think about a house instead. And then the other thing that we found that was really helpful for us is we found a car service and rent a car because it’s hard to go find a place to park. And if you have things to carry with

then you have to deal with that. So for us, we just have somebody that drops us off and picks us up and it really makes it a lot easier. Absolutely. I mean, those are great tips, Gail. Well, those are all, we could tell you’ve done high point of time or two. Yeah, just a few times. And all those are, you know, indifferent. We find different people have sort of different things that they feel like is so important. I could definitely not do this if I don’t do X, Y, Z.

But those things that you mentioned are that’s very valuable. You know, the private home piece staying in a house, especially if you’re bringing a team, we found to hear designers say that’s very valuable because they come back together in the evenings in a more relaxed setting. Yeah, many of our homeowners, know, High Point was doing Airbnb before anybody knew what Airbnb was. We’ve been doing this for

a lot of years. so our homeowners here are very accustomed to getting a house ready for market. And so a lot of times they’ll have the same renters time after time and they just leave them a list. Here’s the wine we like and here’s fill the refrigerator full of this and it’s ready for you when you get there and you’re really able to then connect with your team in the evenings and relax and get your feet ready for the next day.

Well, it’s always fun. We’re already planning for our next market. We’ll, we’ll be there. So thank you so much for sharing your today and congratulations on your promotion. And you forward to all the things that you have to bring. Thanks, Gail. Thanks for having me. My pleasure.