Why you need to attend SoHo Today conference
By Ray Allegrezza, Editor in chief -- Furniture Today, January 13, 2002
Just a few years ago, many of the industry pundits had concluded there was no place like home — the home office, that is.
And to be sure, the number of home offices being put in place each year, along with the subsequent demand for home office furniture, continued to escalate dramatically.
A parallel trend was the growing incidence of telecommuting, the practice of working part of the time in a conventional office and part of the time in a home office.
Some observers would have had us believe that issues like gridlock and increasing real estate costs would result in all of us working at home at least part of the time. I think those were the same guys who tried to convince us the proliferation of PCs would result in the paperless office.
I don't know about you, but if I had a dollar for every scrap of paper on my desk as I write this, I could treat myself to a nice dinner at Noble's.
Which is not to say that suppliers of small office/home office furniture should be thinking of packing up their tents anytime soon. In fact, close to 8% of the U.S. workforce already works at home part of the time, and that number is expected to jump to more than 12% of the workforce, according to a number of observers.
Telecommuting and home offices are both alive and well. In fact, there is a growing desire by a number of office workers, especially after the tragic events of Sept. 11, to work from home. For many Americans, now more than ever, home has become a safe haven.
The industry has a great opportunity to address the changing needs of this viable segment of the market. Directional retailers, including South Florida's City Furniture, are doing just that. Office furniture is playing a pivotal role in City's new 660,000-square-foot store and distribution center.
City Furniture President Keith Koenig says the retailer plans to go toe-to-toe with Office Depot as part of a mission to become the dominant retailer of office furniture in South Florida.
If you would like to hear the specifics of Keith's strategy, you need to be at our upcoming SoHo Today conference, set for March 21-22 at the Sheraton at Four Seasons in Greensboro, N.C.
In addition to Koenig, who is the keynote speaker, the conference features a compelling lineup of panels and seminars ranging from an update on telecommuting to how to sell ergonomics effectively. Gary James, SoHo Today editor, has done an outstanding job of putting together panels touching on effective SOHO merchandising, design trends and much more.
If the SOHO marketis a part of your 2002 strategy, this is a must-attend event. If you need additional information, call Kathy Humble, our conference coordinator, at (336) 605-1066. We look forward to seeing you there!
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