AmericasMart® Atlanta Announces AMU Education Seminars

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AmericasMart® Atlanta announced its exclusive and highly acclaimed education initiative, AmericasMart® University (AMU). Current AMU curriculum addresses three Topics of Learning: Retail Business Basics, Buying & Selling and Building Your Brand. Each offers beginner, intermediate and advanced classes, which are taught by renowned consultants, strategists and experts in business planning, modeling and development. AMU participants are eligible to earn an AmericasMart MBA—awarded to those who complete all AMU curriculum requirements: completion of each Level of the three individual Topics of Learning for a total of nine classes. MBA graduates will be recognized at exclusive Market events and are eligible to receive incentive packages. This January, AmericasMart honors the first MBA graduating class with an exclusive celebration and special recognition. Also new this Market, retailers will be able to view all AMU classes via webinar at AmericasMart.com in case they want to refresh their memory of a specific lecture, or if they were unable to attend a class due to time constraints during Market. Webinars will be available after Market ends. The AmericasMart University January 2008 lineup includes: Explode Your Sales AMU Beginner Course—Buying & Selling Bob Negan, founder of a small chain of specialty toy and kite stores Mackinaw Kite Co., teaches the secrets of an organized, consistent system to generate significant sales increases, including tips to generate more foot traffic, a four step process to develop profitable relationships and six ways to boost an average sale. Sponsored by One Coast. Friday, January 11, 8:30-11 a.m. Building 3, 3rd Floor Conference Center Twelve Steps to Revolutionize Your Business AMU Beginner Course—Retail Basics. Marianna Hayes, president of HALO Business Advisors marketing and advisory firm, presents techniques needed when developing a marketing strategy, all broken down into 12 easy steps. This includes ways to set a retailer’s business apart, attract new customers and eliminate the “shot in the dark” approach. Friday, January 11 10-11 am. Building 3, 3rd floor Conference Center The Look that Sells: Wowing Today’s Customer AMU Beginner Course—Retail Basics. Marianna Hayes addresses the essentials of image building, including what today’s shoppers expect in terms of customer service, the importance of a powerful logo, how to achieve return on investments, curb appeal, dynamite window-scapes and stimulating retail displays. Friday, January 11, 11 a.m. -12 noon Building 3, 3rd floor Conference Center Reaching the Gen Y Market AMU Beginner Course—Retail Basics. Marianna Hayes and Andy Chapman, technology expert, explain Gen Y and the new tools to attract these customers including websites, blogs and email marketing, as well as social networking, the MySpace phenomenon, instant and text messaging. Friday, January 11, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Building 3, 3rd floor Conference Center The Power of a Network: When Others Win Business for You AMU Beginner Course—Buying & Selling. Jay Litton, regional sales manager for software company Guardian Edge, teaches retailers how to grow their businesses via innovative and effective networking, as well as the value of connecting people and ways to reach new customers. Saturday, January 12, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Building 3, 3rd floor Conference Center Capturing Corporate Business AMU Intermediate Course—Buying & Selling. Jay Litton teaches techniques critical to breaking down the wall between small retailers and corporations and messages that will compel customers to listen and purchase. Saturday, January 12, 11 a.m. -12 noon Building 3, 3rd floor Conference Center The Buyer-Seller Dance AMU Advanced Course—Buying & Selling. Al Simon, president of Simon, Inc., an authorized licensee of the professional development training program Sandler Sales Institute, educates retailers on effective methodology for selling and how, by following it, they can remove roadblocks that hinder success. Saturday, January 12 1:30-2:30 p.m. Building 3, 3rd floor Conference Center Website Marketing 101 AMU Beginner Course—Building Your Brand. Drew Barton, founder of Web design and search marketing firm Southern Web Group, addresses ways to build a strong website that can be easily ranked by search engines. Retailers will learn what to do and what NOT to do when building a website. Sunday, January 13, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Building 3, 3rd floor Conference Center Website Marketing 201 AMU Intermediate Course—Building Your Brand. Drew Barton teaches ways to drive traffic to websites once a foundation has been established. Blogs, pay-per-click advertising and link building will also be addressed. Sunday, January 13, 11 a.m. -12 noon Building 3, 3rd floor Conference Center The Impact of Brand Influence AMU Beginner Course—Building Your Brand. Tina Vaughn, CEO and owner of Professional Dynamics Business focused on helping smaller businesses gain greater market margins, explains what a brand is, how to protect it and why a powerful brand is key to success—the fundamentals of branding strategies. Sunday, January 12, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Building 3, 3rd floor Conference Center Other classes offered to teach retailers better business practices, but not part of the AMU lineup, include: Exhibitor Seminar: Learn How to Think Like a Retailer Albert Maslia, AmericasMart Managing Director of Retail Services, teaches retailers how to get inside the minds of buyers and learn what makes them tick. Two Presentations: Thursday, January 10, 11 a.m.-12 noon and 4-5 p.m. Building 3, 3rd floor Conference Center Productive & Profitable: A Smarter Way to Shop AmericasMart Albert Maslia provides inside information for retailers on how to maximize their market visit. Friday, January 11, 9-10 a.m. Building 3, 3rd Floor Conference Center Trend Search Midwest of Cannon Falls/CBK teach methods to becoming a trend guru and turning stores into a shopping destination, including: how to stay abreast of trends; determine what’s hot today & what will be tomorrow; best colors for 2008; how much of a trend to buy and when to move on. Friday, January 11, 9-9:50 a.m. Building 1, 19th Floor, 19-A-23 Building a Brand with Personality Mary Liz Curtin, co-owner of Leon & Lulu and author of A Shopkeeper’s Manual, explains how to build a brand that showcases individuality and distinguishes the store from the competition, strengthen the connection with customers and increase sales. Friday, January 11, 10-10:50 a.m. Building 1, 19th Floor, 19-A-23 -more- January 2008 AMU/Add Three Modern Marketing This seminar will focus on how price, product, promotion and distribution will impact everyday decision-making. Friday, January 11, 11-11:50 a.m. Building 1, 19th Floor, 19-A-23 Planning Fabulous Retail Events for Fun & Profit! Lynni Megginson, designer, retailer & author, shares the secrets of hosting great events that will send sales through the roof and set stores apart from the competition. Friday, January 11, 2-2:50 p.m. Building 1, 19th Floor, 19-A-23 The Holiday View: Retail Display Secrets from the Pros Midwest of Cannon Falls/CBK teaches retailers how to create dramatic, affordable displays for maximum visual appeal/sales impact and provides insider tips and tricks to setting creative, attention-getting holiday displays. Friday, January 11, 3-3:50 p.m. Building 1, 19th Floor, 19-A-23 Productive & Profitable: A Smarter Way to Shop AmericasMart Albert Maslia provides inside information to retailers on how to maximize their market visit. Saturday, January 12, 9-10 a.m. Building 3, 3rd Floor, Conference Center How to Become a Destination Store Mary Carol Garrity, owner of the store Nell Hill’s, shares how her small shop became one of America’s favorite shopping destinations, and how it continues to grow, providing insight and tried-and-true methods for increasing business, year after year. Sponsored by Gerson. Saturday, January 12, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Building 1, 19th Floor, Room 19-A-23 The Art of Shopping & Customer Service Debra Tenebaum, retail specialist, shares tips on how to shop more efficiently and explains how a unique perspective plus good old-fashioned customer service can increase sales. Sunday, January 13, 9-10 a.m. Building 3, 3rd Floor, Conference Center # # #