Western Home Furnishings Association, along with its affiliates and partners, announced the opportunity to participate in a first-of-its-kind Home Furnishings Industry Conference scheduled for April 30–May 2, 2011 at the Westin Riverwalk in historical and beautiful San Antonio, Tex. The Home Furnishings Industry Conference will provide networking, leadership and educational events that will supply content for each segment of the industry.
The highly anticipated Home Furnishings Industry Conference has an energizing agenda geared to help retailers move their business into the future through workshops, general sessions, open forums, and a dynamic Expo with over 40 vendors from around the country. “As incoming President for NHFA, I feel that 2011 Conference in San Antonio will be the highlight of the year,” said Dianne Ray, Garden City Furniture, Garden City Beach, S.C., and NHFA’s 2011 President. “What a great opportunity for retailers, vendors and suppliers to share, learn and listen to one another on a one-on-one basis. I look forward to the conference with the opportunities to learn from everyone attending and, most of all, having fun visiting with all of the great folks who make the furniture industry a great place to work. Come join us for the most exciting and invigorating days of your year and enjoy being a part of the home furnishings industry.”
The event will kick-off with an opening keynote from Bob Beckel and Cal Thomas of USA Today’s Common Ground column. These two politically savvy and politically different analysts take their differences and find the “common ground” that unites all Americans. Although Beckel and Thomas have different opinions on almost every subject imaginable, the goal of Common Ground is to show our audience of retailers and suppliers that bridges can be forged between differences, and agreements can be made.
Another highlight on the agenda is for those interested in learning more about social media. Social media guru, Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics, will be presenting on the implications of social media, and how businesses can tap into the power of this new marketing power to increase sales, cut marketing costs and how to communicate and reach consumers directly.
Lastly, the marketing mastermind behind the Starbucks and Whole Foods brands, John Moore, will present a keynote on The Bigness of Smallness. Moore says that the smaller a business is, the bigger it must look and conversely, the bigger a business is, the smaller it must get. This paradox of growth serves as the foundation for this playful, informative presentation on how businesses can get bigger by acting smaller. Using examples of established and emerging brands, Moore will show the audience through actionable methods for how small businesses can thrive in a crowded marketplace and how big businesses can continue growing when faced with upstart competition.
Along with the amazing educational sessions already scheduled, the Home Furnishings Conference will provide even more opportunities to learn and allow for ample time for retailers, suppliers and vendors to share ideas and best practices to move everyone’s business into the future.
“If you are going to do one thing to help improve your business this year I would say attending this conference is a must,” said Dave Harkness, Harkness Furniture, Tacoma, Wash. “As Pacific Furniture Dealers president and past president of WHFA I can honestly say the annual conference is one of the best things I do for our store on an annual basis. Our PFD buying group has met during this conference for as long as I can remember, and I have yet to miss one. It is the perfect opportunity to meet with and learn from some of the most progressive dealers, manufacturers and suppliers in our industry. I can say with certainty that I ALWAYS pay for my way with ideas and resources that I pick up strictly from this event. This year’s will be even more exciting and educational with the combination of making it a national conference and trade show.”
Members of WHFA, NHFA, all of the affiliates and designated partners can take advantage of the great buy one, get one free deal. One registration of $495 must be purchased and the second person can attend for free. Additional registrations for other team members are only $199 each. This makes it easy for businesses to bring multiple people from their store and learn even more valuable tools for business.
If you are interested in participating as a sponsor or partner of this event, contact Cindi Williams, WHFA, at cwilliams@whfa.org or (916) 960-0277. For the latest information and updates on the Home Furnishings Industry Conference, follow the event on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/HomeFurnishingsConference.
About WHFA, NHFA and Affiliates: The Western Home Furnishings Association (WHFA) is the largest affiliate of the NHFA, representing approximately 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.
About Pacific Furniture Dealers: West Coast buying group comprised of 60 independent furniture retailers, usually dominant or close in their Pacific Northwest communities, hitting popular price points.