WHFA Conference Attendees Confirm Education and Networking Are Key To Innovation and Motivation

Furniture World Magazine

The Western Home Furnishings Association announced that their 2009 Conference & Expo in Maui, Hawaii, May 17 – 19, provided attendees with a chance to expand their minds while escaping to paradise. This year’s conference delivered quality education, inspiration and new ideas to everyone in attendance. "The WHFA Conference was rich with innovative, motivational and practical ideas and solutions... many of which I was able to implement immediately in my store. It was time well spent, and just what I needed to return feeling refreshed and re-energized,” said Patty Evans, Consignment Plus Home Furnishings, Walnut Creek, Calif. The three-day conference started off with the energizing opening session, How to Succeed, Stay Sane, and Have Fun at Work, presented by David Rabiner, Rabiner Resources. Rabiner showed retailers how small shifts in their attitude can influence the attitude of everyone around them. Afterwards, attendees enjoyed a delicious opening night dinner ocean side and then attended the second annual Late Night Lounge. NHFA President Mike Spiller, Spiller Furniture Stores, Tuscaloosa, Ala., got the crowd on their feet and dancing with his many turns at the karaoke machine. Throughout the evening, retailers kept lining up for their turn on the karaoke machine. One crowd favorite was the musical grouping of Spiller, Howard Haimsohn, Lawrance Contemporary, San Diego, Calif., Ralph Farrar, Fiesta Furnishings, Scottsdale, Ariz., and Doug Kays, Premiere Home Furnishing, Pacific Palisades, Calif., with their rendition of the Blues Brothers’ Soul Man. Monday and Tuesday mornings started off with the all new EXpresso EXpo, which offered attendees 20-minute shots of education. This different approach to education within an Expo environment gave attendees a large amount of information within a short period of time. The EXpresso EXpo proved to be a valuable addition to the conference line-up with retailers staying the entire time to listen to the quick and informative educational sessions. “I thought the EXpresso Expo was a fresh addition to conference,” said Lael Thompson, Broyhill Home Collections, Denver, Colo. “It gave everyone concentrated shots of knowledge from some of the industry’s brightest thinkers. I enjoyed getting quick bursts of insights into how I can tune up my business and succeed in these tough times.” The EXpresso EXpo sessions were followed by in-depth breakouts that focused on social media, sales, advertising and marketing and the mind of the mattress buyer. Leslie Carothers, The Kaleidoscope Partnership, explained the value of search engine optimization and Twitter to a standing-room only group of retailers and vendors while Craig McAndrews, The Retail Institute, worked one-on-one with an intimate group of mattress retailers. Another highlight of the conference was the always popular cabana roundtables where retailers sit shoulder-to-shoulder and share their money-saving and profit-keeping ideas. Set under the warm Maui sky, the cabana roundtables allowed attendees to share knowledge with each other in areas such as: social networking, marketing, operations, bedding stores and sales. The closing session, Extraordinary Visions, left attendees awed and inspired. National Geographic photojournalist Dewitt Jones wove a motivational story encouraging attendees to not settle for the status quo but to always strive for extraordinary. Sharing beautiful photographs taken during his adventures, Jones had every attendee at the end of the session looking for the extraordinary in their lives and business. The WHFA Conference ended Tuesday night with the Retailer of the Year Gala, sponsored by Serta International. Emcee Ron Hoesterey, president of Royal Mattress, presented a $500 and $1,000 gift card to the Expo game winners Nancy Absalonson, Walker’s Furniture, and Jeff Weinstein, Mattress Factory, respectively. The evening closed with the presentation of the 2009 Western Retailer of the Year Award to Virginia and Lisa Keyes, Naturwood Home Furnishings, Rancho Cordova, Calif. Naturwood was honored for their 61 years of business and dedication to providing customers with quality home furnishings and immense service to the local community. Their heartfelt acceptance speech honored the memory of Virginia’s husband and Lisa’s father, John Keyes, who passed away in 2006. The celebration concluded with music, dancing and the chance to enjoy conversation with new friends and associates. The 2010 WHFA Conference and Expo will be held in Southern California. For more photos and information on the 2009 WHFA Conference and Expo, visit the WHFA Conference microsite at www.WHFAconference.com. About the WHFA and NHFA The Western Home Furnishings Association (WHFA) is the largest affiliate of the NHFA, representing more than 1,000 independent home furnishings retailers in more than 2,400 stores in 12 western states. National Home Furnishings Association (NHFA) is the nation’s largest organization devoted specifically to the needs and interests of home furnishings retailers. NHFA’s membership comprises 2,800 corporate entities representing 10,000 stores in all 50 states and several foreign countries.