WithIt and World Market Center Las Vegas have partnered to provide exclusive leadership development programming during Las Vegas Market, Jan. 30-Feb. 3.
Both an educational event and a mentoring session are designed to benefit all home furnishings professionals, including interior designers and students pursuing careers in design, regardless of their title, rank or position.
“Our leading-edge campus and engaged communities provide a superior backdrop for WithIt’s leadership programming,” said Robert Maricich, chief executive officer of International Market Centers, parent company of World Market Center Las Vegas. “We support WithIt’s impact on shaping leaders in our industry, and our hope is to expand our partnership with this fine organization during future editions of Las Vegas Market.”
Influential Women in the Home & Design Industry will feature four female business owners who have successfully navigated mid-stream career changes, the rise of social media marketing, and the emergence of sustainability in design. Celebrity interior designer and TV host Kelli Ellis; Mod Mom Furniture owner and product designer Kiersten Hathcock; interior designer and sustainability expert Lori Dennis; and social marketing strategist and WithIt 2012 President Julia Rosien, SocialNorth.com, will engage in a topical discussion that is certain to empower attendees to become better leaders in their companies.
“This is the type of event that every attendee, no matter what his or her role in the home furnishings industry, will walk away with new business insights and implementable strategies,” said WithIt Regional Vice President Kassie Smith, Kassie Smith Lifestyle Group, who will moderate the panel. The discussion will take place Mon., Jan. 30, from 3-4 p.m. inBuilding B, 16th Floor, World Forum.
Meanwhile, a half-day networking event on Wed., Feb. 1, ENERGIZE! will connect successful female professionals and students against the backdrop of showroom tours, topical roundtable discussions led by WithIt 2012 Board members, and great networking opportunities.
"This session is perfect for all women who are interested in excelling within one of the many exciting areas of the home furnishings industry," explained WithIt Vice President of Mentoring Lorri Kelley, vice president of sales for Palliser. "We are reaching out to all women, including students, to introduce them to a new career, or simply to inspire them to be better at what they do now.”
WithIt’s ENERGIZE! event will begin at 8 a.m. in Building C, Suite 344. Tours of Las Vegas Market showrooms will begin following brief introductions. Roundtable discussions will start at 10 a.m.
Both WithIt events are free to registered Las Vegas Market and Gift+Home attendees, but registration is required for the ENERGIZE! networking event. Visit WithIt.org to reserve your seat.
ABOUT WORLD MARKET CENTER LAS VEGAS: World Market Center Las Vegas is an integrated home and hospitality contract furnishings showroom and trade complex. The campus showcases furniture, decorative accessories, gift, lighting, area rugs, home textiles and related segments, as well as the Las Vegas Design Center open daily to consumers and designers. For more information on World Market Center Las Vegas and its trade shows including the bi-annual Las Vegas Market and Gift+Home, visit www.wmclv.com.
World Market Center Las Vegas is a property of International Market Centers, L.P. (IMC), the world’s largest operator of premier showroom space for the furnishings, home décor and gift industries.International Market Centers owns and operates 11.5 million square feet of world-class exhibition space in High Point, N.C. and Las Vegas. IMC’s mission is to build and operate an innovative, sustainable, profitable and scalable platform for the furnishings, home décor and gift industries. For more information on IMC, visit imcenters.com.
ABOUT WITHIT: WithIt, founded in 1997, is a North American women’s leadership development network in the home and furnishings industries. WithIt headquarters: 2125 Eastchester Drive, Suite 103, High Point, NC,27265. WithIt’s 2012 New York Design Tour will be held May 19-21. The annual professional conference will take place Aug. 14-16 in Raleigh, NC. Visit us at www.withit.org.