Want to grow your business? Come to our April conference
David Perry, Executive Editor -- Furniture Today, February 18, 2007
Retailers looking to grow their bedding business should pencil in the dates April 18-20. That's when a group of industry experts will share their insights on how to find success — and profits — in the brave new world of bedding.
The event is Furniture/Today's second Bedding Conference, set for the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, just outside Dallas. We've got a great event planned, featuring leading bedding producers, retailers and suppliers. In addition to the educational sessions, we'll offer the networking opportunities that are a much-praised element of all Furniture/Today conferences.
Bedding veteran Len Gaby, who runs Phoenix-based retailer Sleep America with his wife, Debbie, said our Bedding Conference last year was the first such gathering he had seen in his 35 years in the industry. We will celebrate that sense of community when we meet again.
We kick things off with a speaker who is worth the price of admission all by himself: Larry Wilson. This best-selling author is a savvy business leader, and has devoted much of his career to helping leaders find the keys to success. He'll present a challenging and inspiring message. His appearance is sponsored by Simmons.
Retail success stories are always popular, and we've got one of the best on our agenda. Kim Knopf, owner of Mattress Warehouse in Winfield, W.Va., will present the retail keynote. She built her company into a leading bedding specialty chain by creating a culture of success. Her story is particularly significant because women are bedding's key customers, and Knopf is one of the most successful female executives in the industry.
Our retail focus also includes a panel of leading bedding retailers, who will discuss some of the things they are doing to find success in this tough business climate.
Since the key to bedding sales is what happens on retail sales floors, we have a speaker who is an expert at helping retailers succeed. He is Craig McAndrews, co-founder of the Innovative Retail Group. Delivering exceptional consumer experiences is his goal. It should be yours too.
Worried (or excited) about Chinese bedding? Our panel discussion will assess that hot-button issue. And Leggett & Platt executive Mark Quinn will offer a provocative challenge to the industry.
Those are just some of the highlights of our conference, which once again is co-sponsored by the Home Furnishings International Assn. It's time for you to sign up. You can do so by visiting our Web site, www.furnituretoday.com, and clicking on the conferences icon in the navigation bar on the left. That will take you to the Bedding Conference site. Or you can call our special events manager, Meg Goldsby, at (336) 605-1066. Her e-mail is meg.oxford@reedbusiness.com.
See you in Dallas.
