Alliance Flooring's Convention Taking Place Now in Orlando

Orlando, FL, March 4, 2024-Alliance Flooring’s 2024 convention is underway now at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida. 

The event runs March 2 to 5, and the theme is The Next Generation.

Ahead of today’s keynote for the Alliance Flooring convention, 64 members got an in-depth rundown of the buying group’s new Perfect Home sales system. The comprehensive program includes curated product assortments, streamlined racks and sample cards, in-store Roomvo visualization kiosks, and new retailer websites featuring Roomvo’s online visualizer and a cutting-edge virtual sales assistant.

A unique sales tool, the interactive design consultant (IDC) walks customers through various selection criteria to focus in on the best options for their preferences and lifestyle and present them with a handful of products, which they can then see in room scenes and “favorite” to be shared with the retailer nearest them. The group enlisted the help of a film company to develop the IDC, which is a real person rather than a chatbot.

The new in-store selling system offers a tight assortment of both hard and soft surface. The carpet portion soft launched with 50 members last year, but this marks the first-time members have seen the finalized hard surface selections. All are private label, though Alliance co-CEO Ryan Dunn celebrated the addition of IFC as a new supplier for the group.

The nearly 200 carpet selections are broken down into three collections by, essentially, fiber type and price point. Though, customers need only worry about the visual and performance they’re seeking, streamlining their shopping experience by focusing in on aesthetics and warranties.

The nearly 150 hard surface selections comprise WPC, SPC, mineral core and laminate, with special attention paid to the PVC-free options, which Dunn and co-CEO Kevin Logue see as a category of increasing importance, based on member feedback. Additionally, ceramic-look LVT stands apart from the wood-look options, which are organized by color and then price point.

There are true ceramic and porcelain offerings as well, with curated selections based on distinct style preferences, like Modern Farmhouse and Art Deco.

The group hopes to transition 50 members each year to the new in-store selling system, though it is not mandatory and does not negate existing racks, whether from Alliance’s previous two system rollouts or from manufacturers. Dunn said that would carry the rollout through 2026 for the group’s core members, and Logue noted that the selections-which were heavily based on member input-are meant to carry the group through that timeframe, with the majority of them brand-new releases that don’t overlap with Alliance’s existing negotiated offerings.

The convention will offer members an opportunity to acquaint themselves with the new displays on the show floor today. Being held in Orlando, the event runs through tomorrow, with roughly 130 members in attendance alongside dozens of suppliers.

Alliance Flooring includes CarpetsPlus Colortile and Carpetland USA Colortile.