Pacific Market Center Features Nationally Recognized Experts

Furniture World Magazine

The Pacific Market Center announced that a dynamic group of speakers will provide buyers with ideas on everything that is buzzing in the industry during Seattle Market Week - Winter Gift and Home Accessories Show January 30-February 5, 2008. Speakers will conduct complimentary seminars designed to sharpen buyers’ competitive edge for fueled business growth throughout the year. Featured speakers include: - Tamra Fleming, founder of Life Architecture™ - Wednesday, Jan. 30th - Leatrice Eiseman, color consultant, forecaster, and executive director of Pantone Color Institute and the Eiseman Center of Color Information and Training – Thursday, Jan. 31st - Bob Negen, founder of WhizBang! Training, columnist for Florists’ Review magazine, and author of ‘Marketing Your Retail Store in the Internet Age’ – Friday, Feb. 1st at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. - Kristina Stewart, editor of NICHE magazine and managing editor of AmericanStyle magazine – Monday, Feb. 4th - Melissa Haberstroh, owner of The Burlap Horse and bimonthly columnist for Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazine – Tuesday, Feb. 5th Limited seating is available to attend the seminars and advance registration is required. Held in the Second Floor Learning Forum, each one hour session begins promptly at 9 a.m., with the exception of Friday afternoon’s which begins at 11 a.m. Complimentary coffee, pastries and networking half an hour before the seminar begin. “We are very proud to announce our line-up of speakers for this year’s show which will provide buyers with imperative insight to competitive business strategies and consumer trends”, said Lisa Goodman, marketing director of Pacific Market Center. “Visitors are in for a one-of-kind experience where they will enter a marketplace buzzing with the latest products and idea-filled seminars, sure to energize and fuel their business growth throughout the year.” Information about the speakers: Wednesday, January 30th, Tamra Fleming – Tamra Fleming is the founder of Life Architecture, a company designed to align the clarity of a retailer’s intentions with the energy of their space, staff and brand. A performance coach and a retailer at heart, Fleming works with individuals and entrepreneurial businesses to create an ideal consumer experience that translates the heart of the brand into everyday operations. During her seminar, titled, “The Energy of Retail”, Fleming will speak about creating an energetically attractive store, staff and customer buying experience through five key components. Thursday, January 31st, Leatrice Eiseman – Leatrice Eiseman is a color consultant, forecaster and executive director of both the Pantone Color Institute and the Eiseman Center of Color Information and Training. In her seminar titled, “Future Color/Design Trends: Fulfilling Consumers’ Needs”, Eiseman will explain and illustrate the most important influences in design and color trends that will not only help to entice the customer but, most importantly, drive sales. A nationally-recognized trend expert, Eiseman was named by Home Furnishings News magazine, for the third consecutive year, as one of the most influential “stylemakers”, and by Fortune Magazine as one of the top “decision makers”. Friday, February 1st, Bob Negen, co-sponsored by OneCoast – Bob Negen is the founder of WhizBang! Training, a program designed to help independent retailers thrive in today’s competitive market. He is also a columnist for Florists’ Review magazine, and the author of the book ‘Marketing Your Retail Store in the Internet Age’. Negen will lead two seminars on Friday, which are co-sponsored by Pacific Market Center tenant, OneCoast. Negen’s Friday morning seminar titled, “Explode Your Sales: How to Get the Maximum Bang From Your Marketing Bucks”, will teach buyers the secrets of an organized, consistent system that generates significant sales increases. On Friday at 11 a.m., Negen will lead a second seminar titled, “Six Secrets for Successful Electronic Marketing”, where he will discuss how buyers can turn technology into a business building tool. Monday, February 4th, Kristina Stewart – Kristina Stewart is the editor of NICHE magazine and the managing editor of its sister publication, AmericanStyle magazine. Stewarts seminar titled, “Finding Your NICHE: How Small Retailers Can Compete in a Big-Box World,” will discuss creating visually stunning displays, harnessing the power of the web and tapping into community resources. Offering creative business strategies from start-up tips to success stories, NICHE magazine is the only publication for retailers of fine American craft. Stewart played a key role in the 2006 redesign of the Top Retailer Awards program, sponsored by NICHE magazine, and acts as a judge for the annual NICHE Student Awards. Tuesday, February 5th, Melissa Haberstroh – Melissa Haberstroh is a bimonthly columnist for Gifts & Decorative Accessories and owner of The Burlap Horse. Her seminar, “Retail by Design: A Blueprint to Cross Merchandising Success”, will teach attendees how to build customer-stopping displays in addition to the design basics of symmetry and balance with color and theme. The Burlap Horse has been honored with a Gold Retailers Excellence Award in Store Design and a Gold Award for Outstanding Service by Gifts & Decorative Accessories and was named by Home Accents Today as one of the Fifty Retail Stars. In collaboration with Seattle Gift Show, Pacific Market Center presents Seattle Market Week. Representing every major product category, the mart offers access to thousands of national and international trend-setting product lines that help buyers stay one-step ahead of the ever-changing consumer markets. Pacific Market Center is the most extensive and cutting-edge source for home, lifestyle and gift in the Pacific Northwest. Sophisticated showrooms feature product lines from 65 distinct categories of buying including: Home Décor, Garden & Outdoor Living, Dining & Housewares, Linens &Textiles, Gourmet Foods, Gift, Lighting, Pet, Seasonal and Holiday, Aromatherapy & Personal Care, Juvenile and Art/Handmade. Visitors can enjoy all the fun, culture, shopping, and dining of Seattle that makes it a vibrantly unique city. The Winter Gift & Home Accessories Show will take place at Pacific Market Center from January 30 to February 5, 2008 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m Wednesday through Tuesday with late night buying available on Friday until 8 pm. The show closes at 4 pm on Tuesday, February 5. For more information about the show please visit www.pacificmarketcenter.com or call (800) 433-1014. About Pacific Market Center: Pacific Market Center is the leading permanent wholesale market on the west coast, featuring the latest in home furnishings, accessories and gift products. The industry destination for buyers in the Western United States, Canada and beyond, Pacific Market Center offers permanent showrooms on five floors featuring thousands of product lines for a wide selection of merchandise to help buyers keep up with every trend affecting their consumers. Pacific Market Center draws thousands of buyers from more than 30 channels of distribution including high-end department stores, corporate, specialty retailers, home furnishings, kitchenware, events, gourmet food, hospitality, garden/outdoor living, salons & spas, wineries, Internet, and regional chain outlets. Located in Seattle's Design District, Pacific Market Center is open to the trade only. For more information, visit www.pacificmarketcenter.com. Pacific Market Center is owned and managed by The Benaroya Companies.