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F/T bedding conference set for March 29–31

By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, November 13, 2005

High Point — Furniture/Today and the Home Furnishings International Assn. are joining forces to host the first all-industry bedding conference next March.

The conference at the Ritz-Carlton at Las Vegas Lake, a new resort community just outside Las Vegas, begins with a reception on the evening of March 29. Business sessions will follow during the next two days.

The theme is, "Bedding and Beyond: How to get your share — and more."

One highlight will be a dinner honoring Six Retail Bedding Giants, people who have made their mark in the bedding industry. They will be honored in small, medium and large-store categories.

The conference agenda features presentations by several top bedding retailers, including Len and Debbie Gaby of Sleep America in Phoenix, Barrie Brown of Mattress Giant in Addison, Texas, and Tim Sommer of HOM Furniture in Coon Rapids, Minn.

Also scheduled to make presentations are officials of Tempur-Pedic, the fast-growing visco-elastic bedding producer and retailer.

Retail display experts Martin Roberts of Grid2 and Connie Post of the Connie Post Companies will share their latest bedding display concepts.

Practical advice for retail sales associates will be provided by veteran bedding consultant Ron Wolinski, vice president of the Profitability Consulting Group.

And a panel of top U.S. bedding producers will tackle hot topics confronting the industry.

The event is open to bedding retailers, producers and suppliers.

"The bedding category is a cornerstone in the home furnishings industry and in our coverage at Furniture/Today," said David Perry, the publication's executive editor. "We believe the category deserves a conference of its own, and we have developed this compelling agenda to explore a variety of key bedding issues."

The bedding event follows a similar format to the one successfully used at Furniture/Today Leadership Conferences.

"Those conferences unite top retailers, producers and suppliers in a non-market setting that gives us plenty of time to explore key issues in depth," Perry said. "They also provide unmatched opportunities for networking. Our bedding conference will benefit from those same time-tested dynamics."

Mary Frye, president of HFIA, said, "The bedding industry has done a good job of communicating how our sleep surfaces affect our wellness. We know that replacing bedding can improve how we feel. A conference about this important category is easy to decide to attend.

"We are looking forward to working with Furniture/Today on this important event," she said.

Dallas-based HFIA represents home furnishings retailers, wholesalers and other industry professionals from all 50 states. It can be reached at (800) 942-4663.

For more information on the conference, contact Furniture/Today's Meg Goldsby at (336) 605-1066 or by e-mail at meg.goldsby@reedbusiness.com.

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F/T bedding conference set for March 29-31

Nov 17, 2005

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