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High Point Market offers dozens of educational seminars

Cover broad spectrum of topics

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, October 12, 2009

HIGH POINT — A variety of educational seminars, most of them free to market attendees, will take place at the High Point Market.

Many of them will take place in the National Home Furnishings Assn.'s Retailer Resource Center on the first floor of Plaza Suites. Locations and costs if any are noted with each listing.

Saturday, Oct. 17

8:30-9:30 a.m.
Success in Spite of the Economy
Philip Gutsell, GutSELL & Associates
You have squeezed all the fat out of your overhead and traffic is more difficult. Now what do you do? Phil Gutsell will show you the strategies and promotions that are getting profitable results in spite of the tough economic conditions. Included are case histories regarding advertising, gross margin and volume results. www.gutsell.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st floor

10-11 a.m.
It Is Not Business as Usual in Today's Challenging Real Estate Market
Julius Feinblum, Julius M. Feinblum Real Estate
Retailers must cut their real estate expenses, including rent, taxes and common area maintenance. Retailers must reposition and take advantage of lower rents available. Retailers must dispose of non-performing locations unless they can adjust their pro-forma. Smaller one- to four-store players can take advantage of these low real estate prices. We will show you actual cases where these issues have been taking place. This might be the greatest retail furniture and bedding real estate opportunity since 1947. www.furniturerealestate.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Web Strategy 101
Sharon Gillis, JGSullivan Interactive
Learn how to effectively plan and implement a Web site that delivers results. See what works to educate consumers about your products and services online and how to bring them offline and into your showroom to complete the sale. Learn the questions to ask before you build or redesign your site, how to use your site to drive traffic into your showroom, and current Internet trends and tactics for retailers. All attendees will receive a handout with online resources to help you learn and succeed with your Web initiative. Sponsored by HomeFurnishings.com. www.homefurnishings.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

Noon-1:30 p.m.
Bernasconi Color and Trend
Stephen Bernasconi
The internationally know trend forecaster presents his latest observations about the future of color and design for home décor. For nearly five years, Bernasconi was one of a few color and design specialists for Benjamin Moore Paints. His role there involved traveling internationally as well as stateside researching and presenting the latest color and design movements. He tracks trends at tradeshows in Europe and the United States, and has covered the High Point Market for years, noting the subtle and sometimes not so subtle changes that appear each fall and spring. Complimentary box lunch provided. IHFC Green wing, 11th floor, Ballroom B.

1-2 p.m.
GREENleaders Sneak Peek: Certified Training Preview
Jeff Hiller, Sustainable Furnishings Council
GREENleaders is a certified training course that provides accreditation as an expert in sustainable home furnishings. This preview seminar is offered free to help you understand why this topic is so important, some of the product options that are available, the questions that almost inevitably come up, and the benefits of participating in the complete certification program to gain credentials. You will receive information that can be applied in a business immediately and get the answers you need to decide if the program is right for you. Intended for manufacturers, sales representatives, retailers and designers. (1 CEU) Sponsored by Sustainable Furnishings Council. www.sustainablefurnishings.org. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

2:30-3:30 p.m.
When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Take Action
Brad Huisken, IAS Training
Huisken will lead participants through a fun and motivational seminar on Selling in Tough Times - Strategies to Maximize Sales. He will detail topics such as how salespeople can help "brand" the store, telephone campaigns, three responsibilities of a salesperson, handling objections, selling yourself and the store, customer follow-up, analyzing lost sales and more. www.iastraining.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

4-5 p.m.
Improve Your Warehouse, Delivery and Service
Daniel Bolger, P.E., The Bolger Group
Bolger will share practical tips to reduce costs in the warehouse, delivery and service operations. In this challenging economy, you can improve the bottom line by attention to key processes in training, inventory management, prepping, loyalty, trucking and presentation in the customer home. The seminar will offer solutions that will boost profits while gaining customer referrals through their favorable furniture buying experience. www.bolgergroup.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

5-8 p.m.
Let's Wine
Talk about the ups, downs and sideways motions of the home furnishings business and find out what's new and what's around the corner. 200 Steele, Suite 136

Sunday, Oct. 18

7:30-9 a.m.
WithIt Educational Breakfast: Building Your Celebrity Design Brand through Social Media
Tobi Fairley
Design talent, coupled with razor-sharp marketing skills, can, over time, be developed into a powerful, authoritative and sustainable interior design business. How to speed up that development - even in a difficult economy? How to rise to the top - even in a competitive market? How to connect with design influentials nationwide - including senior editors and potential licensing partners? Social media can provide that transformative power. Fairley, named one of America's Top 20 Young Designers, and Walton College of Business Entrepreneur of the Year 2009, is one of the top-performing luxury residential interior designers in the nation. She offers insight, utility and inspiration to the design community as she reveals the social media pathways that have helped lead her to success. Breakfast and seminar are free of charge but reservations are required by e-mailing hallred@ihfc.com or going online to www.withit.org. Sponsored by WithIt and IHFC. IHFC, International Ballroom

8:30-9:30 a.m.
An Overview of the Home Furnishings Industry
W.W. "Jerry" Epperson, Jr., Mann, Armistead & Epperson
Using the latest statistics and proprietary research and forecasts, furniture research specialist Epperson will define where the industry stands and expectations for the future. www.maeltd.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

10-11 a.m.
The Five Most Common Management Skill Weaknesses: Their Symptoms & Solutions
Ron Wolinski, Profitability Consulting Group
The area of management development and leadership are the most ignored in the retail furniture world, yet they have the greatest impact - the attitudes and performance of all associates. This seminar will present, based on thorough research, the five most common management skills that must be addressed, the solutions to their development and the impact on the organization.
www.profitabilityconsulting.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Not Showing Up on Google? Learn SEO & Marketing Tactics to Improve Your Store's Rankings in Search Results
Sharon Gillis, JGSullivan Interactive
Learn how to use Google to capture consumers who are using the Internet to make their furniture buying decisions. This presentation will offer actionable SEO tactics, effective PPC campaign strategies for targeting furniture shoppers in your local market, and great Web landing page design to bring consumers offline and into your showroom. Sponsored by HomeFurnishings.com. www.homefurnishings.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

Noon-2 p.m.
Design Today
Mariette Himes Gomez
Mariette Himes Gomez's interiors are like the designer: open, warm, practical and resistant to easy categorizing. In all her work, whether it's an interior, a piece of furniture or a tabletop design, Gomez seeks balance, repose and respect. She focuses on classic, modern design with an unpretentious sense of luxury and comfort. An author, lecturer and teacher, Gomez is not a champion of particular style. Rather, her approach derives from the architectural character of a space and her sense of scale and proportion - in shape, color, light and material. Based on a geometric grid, she creates multiple mini-compositions within a room and a natural order that flows from space to space. The result is a series of pleasing sensory circles, offering an infinite arc of visual transcendence. $20 includes lunch. Advance registration recommended. Reservation is secure upon receipt of payment. Mail check to IHFC, Attn: Holly Allred, PO Box 828, High Point, NC 27261. E-mail hallred@ihfc.com to request a credit card authorization form. Sponsored by IHFC and IFDA, Carolinas Chapter. IHFC Green Wing, 11th floor, Ballroom B

1-2 p.m.
The Road Ahead: Where Green Is Going and When
Jeff Hiller, Sustainable Furnishings Council
The U.S. government is identifying the green economy as the engine of future growth, pledging $120 billion and the promise of 5 million new jobs. Learn how all of this can benefit you in the home furnishings industry through an understanding of key legislation, consumer trends and new product developments, presented in a discussion format by a variety of experts including environmental groups like Rainforest Alliance and Forest Stewardship Council, USGBC/LEED accredited professionals, and Sustainable Furnishings Council staff and members. Intended for manufacturers, retailers and designers at any point in their own sustainability path. Sponsored by Sustainable Furnishings Council. www.sustainablefurnishings.org. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

2:30-3:30 p.m.
Maximizing Customer Opportunities
Bob Moorman, JRM Sales & Management
The competition for each customer is more intense than ever before. Does your sales floor make it easier for your salespeople to sell? Do you understand how to truly evaluate salespersons' performance? Are you able to help your salespeople improve? This seminar focuses on positioning your company to maximize the potential of every customer that calls or visits your store. www.jrmsales-mgmt.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

4-5 p.m.
Increase Sales, Increase Margin and Improve Your Merchandise Mix by Using Retail Science
Krisann Parker-Brown, Hearth and Home Technologies
Parker-Brown, who has 21 years in retail including 10 years at Target Corp., will offer insights to help the profitability of your business and help you better serve your consumer. Topics covered include gender shopping behavior, product placement strategy, perceptions of value related to product placement, physical showroom layout tips, and psychological pricing strategy. www.hearthnhome.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

Monday, Oct. 19
7:30-9 a.m.
Green Seats: How to Improve Retail Sales with Sustainable Upholstery
Jeff Hiller, Sustainable Furnishings Council
Hiller, president of the SFC, will show attendees how the sustainable furnishings category can be used to create competitive niches in retail markets. The seminar will also offer a primer on sustainable components used in upholstery construction such as recycled ultramicrofiber, bio hybrid foam, frames made from certified woods and more. Breakfast will be served. RSVP before Oct. 9 to admin@sustainablefurnishingscouncil.com. Sponsored by Toray Ultraseude and American Leather. Showplace 5000

9-10:30 a.m.
The Value Equation
Connie Post, Connie Post Affordable Design Solutions
Learn new ideas that will add true value to your brand and dollars to your bottom line through store presentation and product selection. This is a fast-paced and powerful visual presentation by Connie Post that will change your business for today's customer. www.conniepost.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

9:30-10:30 a.m.
Designing Green Roundtable
Alexander Julian, Vladimir Kagan, Thom Felicia
Join legendary fashion and furnishings designer Alexander Julian, award-winning product designer Vladimir Kagan, and award-winning designer, author and host of Style Network's "Dress My Nest," Thom Filicia, among other industry heavyweights, in a spirited roundtable discussion of the influence of sustainability in their work and for the future of our industry. All are inaugural members of the Sustainable Furnishings Council's DesigninGreen Leadership Team formed to increase awareness in the design community and the consumer market. Refreshments provided. IHFC Green Wing, 11th floor, Ballroom B.

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Social Media - What It Is and How to Use It Effectively
Sharon Gillis, JGSullivan Interactive
Learn how to get started with social media to connect with furniture shoppers using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogs. See case studies of retailers who are successfully using social media to engage with their customers to build relationships and increase sales. Learn what to avoid when setting up your social media profiles. Get access to free online training resources.
Sponsored by HomeFurnishings.com. www.homefurnishings.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

Noon-1:30 p.m.
No-Cost and Low-Cost Marketing Tools, Tips and Strategies for Finding Profit with Perfect Prospects
Melissa Galt
A recovering interior designer, Galt is a successful entrepreneur, speaker, consultant, trainer and author. She works with the home furnishings industry and the design trade to renovate their businesses with new marketing and social media. Her low-cost and no-cost methods and proven strategies deliver successful connections, educated buyers, and lucrative relationships for a lifetime of demand. $20 includes lunch. Advance registration recommended. Reservation is secure upon receipt of payment. Mail check to IHFC, Attn: Holly Allred, PO Box 828, High Point, N.C. 27261. E-mail hallred@ihfc.com to request a credit card authorization form. Sponsored by IHFC and IFDA, Carolinas Chapter. IHFC Green Wing, 11th floor, Ballroom B

1-2 p.m.
Design + Find: Sustainable Interiors Made Simple
Jeff Hiller, Sustainable Furnishings Council
Much is written on the theory behind green interior design, but this hands-on workshop demonstrates specific steps to put it all into practice. Written by a LEED AP and enhanced by product sample presentations from a range of green furnishings manufacturers, you will gain an understanding of what to look for in case goods, upholstery and bedding. See how things are made. Feel the difference in materials. Walk away with map in hand to help you find the good stuff. (1 CEU) Sponsored by Sustainable Furnishings Council. www.sustainablefurnishings.org. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

2:30-3:30 p.m.
How to Host a Successful Event in Your Store
Sarah Cooney, Circle Furniture
Circle Furniture will present a variety of successful options for hosting events like consumer seminars, charity events, etc. all designed to drive traffic to your store. This is an interactive session filled with real world examples. www.circlefurniture.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

4 p.m.
Book signing and presentation
Carol Donayre Bugg
Carol Donayre Bugg, ASID, will deliver a presentation and sign copies of her book "Decorating...The Professional Touch." RSVP to (800) 686-6393 or
receptionist@decoratingden.com. 200 Steele, 2nd floor atrium

4 p.m.
Art for the Moment
Christopher Wilcox of Natural Curiosities, Elle Decor
Wilcox, founder of Natural Curiosities, is passionate about discovery and art. He is a collector, an antiquarian, a taste-maker, and a businessman who believes in a lifestyle that appreciates beauty, history, and education. He demonstrates this appreciation in all aspects of his life. He hopes to influence the world in a positive direction through art and the love of art. IHFC, Designer Resource Center, 1st Floor

4-5 p.m.
Five Reasons You Should Not Train Your Furniture Salespeople
Mark Lacy, The Furniture Training Co.
In this humorous yet informative training session, we'll talk about five reasons you shouldn't train your salespeople to sell furniture. You'll also learn why those reasons are wrong. Let's talk (and laugh) about the reasons you aren't doing what the best businesses do to stay successful. Come to this seminar and you'll walk away with some easy, affordable and effective solutions to your training problems. www.furnituretrainingcompany.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

6-9 p.m.
WithIt Competitive Intelligence/Trends Forecast
Karim Rashid
Enjoy an interactive session with prolific designer Karim Rashid. More than 3,000 designs in production, more than 300 awards and working in more than 35 countries attest to Rashid's legend of design. His diversity affords him the ability to cross-pollinate ideas, materials, behaviors, and aesthetics from one typology to the next, crossing boundaries and broadening consumer horizons. 220 Elm, 328

Tuesday, Oct. 20

8:30-9:30 a.m.
Leave a Legacy, Keep Your Sanity
David Lively, The Lively Merchant
Unless you are more than 95 years old, you have never held a job or managed a company in such a time as this. Your world is changing, your customer is changing, and your company is changing. In fact, 60% of independent family business owners will transfer ownership in the next five years. President Franklin D. Roosevelt observed, "There is a mysterious cycle in human events." Understanding how this cycle works will make or break your business. This will offer a comprehensive look at family business past and future. www.thelivelymerchant.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

10-11 a.m.
Home and the Modern Lifestyle: What Americans Expect Now
Kristine Kennedy and Joseph Boehm Sr., editors, Better Homes & Garden
How are people using their formal dining rooms? How are they integrating Wii/Xbox/Rock Band into their media rooms? How has "green" awareness influenced their design decisions? Kristine Kennedy uses first-hand knowledge and Better Homes & Gardens research to discuss how American consumers are rethinking the design and function of their homes to fit with today's lifestyle. Joe Boehm will discuss how the research is applied to the brand's own licensed products to best meet consumer needs. Refreshments provided. IHFC Green Wing, 11th floor, High Point Room

10-11 a.m.
Changing Times - Proven Techniques
Stan Bossler, Bossler Design Services
In today's changing, competitive retail market, proven showroom planning and visual merchandising techniques are essential tools for the successful home furnishings retailer. With more than 25 years of showroom planning experience, Bossler will guide you through showroom planning techniques including way finding, finishes and emerging design trends. Visual merchandising standards incorporating composition and lighting will be highlighted. bossler@prodigy.net. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
E-mail Marketing: A Killer Tool for Tight Budgets
Jeff Stanislow, Banker & Brisebois Advertising
E-mail marketing is an efficient and effective method for communicating to customers and potential customers while on a limited budget. It also lets you evaluate the effectiveness of each campaign with comprehensive tracking reports. Join Stanislow to discover why e-mail marketing makes sense right now, and learn e-mail strategies that work, how to get your message in the "inbox" and much more. www.bbfurnitureadvertising.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

Noon-1 p.m.
Redesigning Your Career: New Directions for Today's Interior Designer
Cathy Whitlock
A graduate of Parsons School of Design and member of ASID, Whitlock has more than 22 years of experience in the interior design industry with practices in New York, Chicago, Memphis and Nashville. She appeared as a frequent on-air personality and spokesperson on HGTV's "Decorating With Style," representing national companies such as Thomasville Furniture, Jackson and Perkins, Palecek, Wisteria catalog, Wilsonart, Pierre Deux, and Swedish Blonde furniture. Box lunch provided. IHFC Green Wing, 11th floor, Ballroom B

1-2 p.m.
Retail Business Remodel: How to Turn Your Sales Staff into Entrepreneurs
Jeff Hiller, PROaction Marketing Group
This seminar is offers instruction on capturing contact data, daily prospecting, soliciting direct referrals, networking effectively, doubling response to follow ups, and adding 20% to your sales totals while making your customers feel valued, not harassed. Also provided is a proven, step-by-step procedure for getting customers to sign on the dotted line, including compelling presentation, price reassurance, timing reactions, anticipating objections and asking for the order. The focus is on process, not style, and will work for any of your staff, from the over-the-top promoter to the warm and friendly nurturer. proactionnow@gmail.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

2:30-3:30 p.m.
Improve Your Customer's Experience: POS Is King
Mark Ricciardi, Storis Management Systems
Transform your retail business by satisfying your customer demands faster and offering more personalized service through a robust point of sale solution. A retailer's major asset is obtaining fast, reliable, real-time information. This seminar will provide retailers with the superior POS tools necessary to empower operations, including business intelligence, inventory, e-commerce and more. www.storis.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

4-5 p.m.
Leveraging Consumer Insights for Profit Growth
Chuck Mattina, Quixote Group
This seminar will reveal research techniques and methodology to develop consumer insights that will allow you to grow your brand. You will learn when to use it, when not to, and what you can and cannot tell from it. www.quixotegroup.com. NHFA Retailer Resource Center, Plaza Suites, 1st Floor

Wednesday, Oct. 21

8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Take a Critical Look at Your Company - Workshop for Retailers
Bob George, Impact Consulting Services
You have just survived one of the worst economic downturns in the furniture industry. New competition from new distribution channels presents new challenges. Traditional suppliers have disappeared and the new import model, once thought to be an opportunity to provide value to the consumer, has introduced its own set of unique problems. You are ready to get on the road to recovery, but are you using the right map? Plot your route using FurnitureCore.com.
Participation limited. Registration is required by calling (404) 961-3734, ext. 117, or e-mailing BobGeorge@impactconsultingservices.com.

Noon
State of the Industry and Consumer Mindset: A Retailer Roundtable Discussion
Jenny Heinzen York, Home Accents Today
Join Heinzen York, editor-in-chief of Home Accents Today, and a panel of PR-savvy retailers, as they reveal their secrets for getting maximum coverage in the press by using simple, inexpensive strategies to get your store noticed. Box lunch provided. IHFC Green Wing, 11th floor, Ballroom B
1:30-4:30 p.m.
Take a Critical Look at Your Company - Workshop for Manufacturers
Bob George, Impact Consulting Services
You have just survived one of the worst economic downturns in the furniture industry. New distribution channels have presented new opportunities. However, the net results may have fallen below expectations. The rush to import, a welcome relief to gross margin, has created other associated problems. Your issues become: which retailers can maximize your market share; how to develop products that will perform long enough to recoup development cost; and what value can you offer retailers other than simply price reduction? You are ready to get on the road to recovery, but are you using the right map? Plot your route using FurnitureCore.com.
Participation limited. Registration is required by calling (404) 961-3734, ext. 117, or e-mailing BobGeorge@impactconsultingservices.com.

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