ISPA: Expo 2006 'most diverse ever'
Features 180 suppliers, producers from 24 countries
David Perry -- Furniture Today, March 15, 2006
SAN ANTONIO -- A "more focused" International Sleep Products Assn. held its Expo 2006 on the banks of this city’s famous Riverwalk, and ISPA President Dick Doyle called it “the most diverse show ever” in the trade group’s 90-year history.
One hundred eighty mattress suppliers and producers from 24 countries gathered at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center for the four-day show, which offered a window into the latest developments by suppliers of ticking, foam, fibers, innersprings, bedding machinery and all the myriad other products and services that go into today’s mattresses. The expo also gave ISPA a chance to tackle key issues facing the industry, honor outstanding bedding leaders, and provide a series of networking opportunities. A major focus of Expo 2006 was mattress flammability. Dozens of companies showed fire-resistant fabrics, fibers, threads and other products, and offered a variety of FR services. On the day before the show opened, ISPA held another of its Flammability SHOPtalk sessions to educate attendees about flammability issues. Companies showing FR products said they were pleased that producers of all sizes are approaching the flammability issue with greater seriousness and a sense of urgency. Just weeks before the show, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission established a federal mattress flammability standard, which goes into effect July 1, 2007. Educational sessions included a retail panel moderated by former Simmons executive Don Hofmann and featuring Mike Eppinger of Mattress Discounters, Upper Marlboro, Md.; David Koehler of Haverty Furniture in Coppell, Texas; and Steve Stone, president of BedMart in Portland, Ore. The retailers said they like to stick with beds that are selling well rather than changing simply to accommodate new lines from producers. “When we find a winner on the sales floor,” Koehler said, “we don’t want to quit. I don’t want to see changes that often. To change the entire lineup just to change doesn’t make sense, and it is costly to retailers.” The panel also said they would like to see much shorter bedding warranties. “One year certainly sounds good to me,” Eppinger said. “Very few products have a warranty of more than one year.” And the retailers were critical of the overall quality of bedding manufacturers’ sales reps. “I see a real lack of quality sales representatives,” Stone said. “It’s disappointing how little effort is being made, and the effort that is being made is poor.” At the Industry Breakfast, immediate past ISPA Chairman David Orders of Park Place Corp. presented his state-of-the-industry address. He said the loss of three major members last year prompted ISPA to make a number of changes, but noted that ISPA’s support remains strong. He said ISPA has learned from its mistakes and is stronger today from the experience. “We are wiser and more focused on our mission today,” Orders said. Over the years, ISPA has been “a catalyst for changes that benefit our industry,” he said, noting that without ISPA, the industry would lack a unified voice and would miss the consumer education, global market analysis, statistical and trend reports, and the supplier show produced by ISPA. “We have a strong ISPA,” Orders declared.
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