Bedding event draws 300-plus
David Perry -- Furniture Today, May 26, 2011
Bedding Conference keynote speaker James Maas, left, with Bill Fedor of Slumberland Furniture, Little Canada, Minn.
AVENTURA, Fla. — Bedding retailers and other experts shared some of their best plays at Furniture/Today's sixth annual Bedding Conference, which attracted record attendance of more than 300.
The event, held at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort here, addressed the theme: "Polishing the Playbook: Skill sets for mattress retail success."
Among the key plays considered: How to sell the importance of better sleep, how to create volume-building mattress television ads, and how to connect with bedding's key consumers, women.
Complete coverage of the conference will be in Furniture/ Today's May 23 print issue.
Keynote speaker James Maas shared examples of lives transformed by better sleep. Maas is co-author of the new book, "Sleep for Success! Everything you must know about sleep but are too tired to ask." His well-received talk was sponsored by his new brand partner, Paramount Sleep.
Television advertising guru Bob Lietz showed numerous examples of effective mattress commercials in a talk sponsored by Therapedic, while Delia Passi, an expert in marketing to women, delivered tips that retailers can use to connect with women. Her talk was sponsored by headline sponsor Hickory Springs.
Robert Oexman, director of Kingsdown's Sleep to Live Institute, talked about a study that found the right mattress does affect a person's sleep, but that it's hard for consumers to find the mattress best for them.
Bedding's top producers, including executives from Sealy, Simmons, Serta and Tempur- Pedic, debated key bedding issues on a lively "hot topics" panel.
Top bedding retailers were also heard at the conference, with furniture retailers Art Van Furniture, El Dorado Furniture and R.C. Willey sharing some of the secrets of their success with mattresses.
Social media issues were tackled by Dan Schecter of Carpenter, whose social media program went viral last year, and Mark Quinn of Leggett & Platt, chairman of the Better Sleep Council, who discussed the BSC's new Zombieitis campaign.
Craig McAndrews of Mattress Firm wrapped the conference up by involving the audience in a look at key issues facing the industry this year.
The conference included the presentation of four Retail Giants of Bedding awards. Honored were Bedzzz Express of Birmingham, Ala.; Back To Bed of Itasca, Ill.; El Dorado Furniture of Miami Gardens, Fla.; and Nebraska Furniture Mart of Omaha, Neb. The gala awards dinner was sponsored by Comfort Solutions, which presented a video salute to the winners hosted by Dave Roberts, president of Comfort Solutions.
Well-attended cocktail parties were hosted by Leggett & Platt and Serta. Golf was sponsored by Fabrictech.
The conference was attended by more than 50 bedding retailers and a number of producers and suppliers.
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Furniture/Today Bedding Conference draws 300-plus
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