ART Conference, roundtables offer opportunities for retailers
Susan Dickenson -- Home Accents Today, 8/4/2010 8:17:40 AM
SUSAN DICKENSON
LAST MONTH, I spent three days networking, brainstorming, and socializing with accessories industry people at ART Conference 2010, held this year in Palm Springs, Calif.
Two of the breakout sessions took us behind closed doors to meet with members of our career peer groups. Several days after the conference I was surprised to see, while looking through photos, that the retail category roundtable was the smallest group. And I use the term "surprised" because the retailers in attendance made such a strong impact with their discussions, personalities and leadership contributions. Even the group's president is a retailer - Bill Fortson, of BJ's Home Accents in Newburgh, Ind.
If you're not familiar with ART, acronym for Accessories Resource Team, I encourage you to take a look at their website for more information. ART is the only trade group representing the interests of the decorative accessories industry. Supporting and building our collective businesses is the association's prime objective, and members, many of whom compete directly with one another, accomplish it by raising awareness through events like the annual ARTS Awards.
The next ART Conference won't happen for another year, but it's not too early to start thinking about adding it to your 2011 calendar. Here are a few of the retail topics and activities that took place:
Retail "makeovers"
These workshops, conducted on-site at four Palm Springs retailers/design studios, resulted in a merchandising makeover and marketing plan for each of the participating businesses. It's a team competition that is just one of several activities designed to inspire, motivate and build relationships among the attendees. Each team has a merchandising half that works on-site at the retailer's to create a window display using stock available on the floor, and a marketing half that develops a new marketing plan for the store.
This year I participated as a member of the marketing team assigned to Studio W's Trendhouse, a shop owned by Joel Wolfgang in in Palm Springs' Uptown Design District. Also volunteering their businesses for the day were neighboring Interior Illusions, Tchochtkes and Dann Foley Designs.
Last time I attended, in 2008, almost all of the marketing plans involved storyboards, catchy slogans, colorful graphics and ad campaigns for print and television. This year, the plans extended to storyboards and ad campaigns for You- Tube, delved into product licensing, and talked a lot about "expert" and "design personality" opportunities in local and national media. Some of the plans also touched on event planning and product placement, but all had an e-commerce/website/ social media component.
Seminars
The topic of social media also came up in seminar presentations, such as the one on PR and communications led by Brand Communications President Leslie Newby.
In his presentation, consultant and Home Accents Today columnist Randy Eller challenged us all with a number of topics relevant to our place in the industry, community, country and the world. His presentation touched on ideas like:
- What retailers really want: Unique product. "If the product is genuinely unique, do you care what it costs?" (The retailers in attendance said "No.")
- Telemarketing - The growing appeal of a human voice over automated marketing and selling.
- Does social networking have a direct path to revenue?
- The added value when manufacturers go into the store and set up product instead of just having the retailer buy it and bring it home.
- Manufacturers and rep groups that are selling direct to consumers - how the retailer will be affected.
Eller also briefly brought to mind the plight of retailers in the Gulf Coast region - the effects of the oil spill on their business, as well as those in alternate vacation areas who may see higher traffic this season. (For more on the oil spill and how retailers are responding, read about Louisiana retailers Chad and Beth Harris in this month's retail profile beginning on page 20.)
Smiles & styles
It's not all serious, though. The ART Conference leaves plenty of time for socializing, dining, fun and games.
New York-based Fashion Snoops forecasters Andrea Sinkin and Jaye Anna Mize took us on a colorful in-depth tour of lifestyle and home trends well into 2012.
Following Saturday night's dinner, attendees managed to pick up a couple of bargain-priced accessories with free shipping, at a fund-raising auction that featured goods donated by manufacturers, market organizers and sales reps.
You don't have to be a member of ART to attend the conference, though it does have its benefits: discounted registration and lodging rates, updates and invitations to ART-sponsored activities throughout the year, and benefits from alliances with other industry groups - like one just announced with the Home Furnishings Industry Association. We'll have a wrap-up of the 2010 ART Conference in next month's issue. Until then, enjoy the photos on Home Accents Today's Facebook page, and those posted by the ART team on their Facebook page.
Retailer roundtables
Over the past year, Home Accents Today has covered a series of ARThosted retailer roundtables at markets in Atlanta, Dallas, High Point, Las Vegas and New York. The notes from the "anonymous" discussions at these behind-closed-doors gatherings, some of which have been published in our pages as Retailers, Unplugged features, have become a valuable source of information for manufacturers, reps and market organizers as they look for ways to improve relationships and better the processes that make our industry work. The retailer roundtables will continue over the next year, and we are always looking for retailers with some opinions to voice and an hour to spare. If you fit the bill, drop ART Director Sharon Davis a note at sharonjdavisnc@ earthlink.com.
We would love your feedback!
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