Surfaces Town Hall Covers Key Issues

Dallas, Dec. 17--As a floorcovering professional, trying to run a successful business can present a lot of challenges. When you add myriad changing dynamics to the mix, your business can suffer if you aren’t planning for them in advance. Right now, the floorcovering industry is being faced with a series of critical issues that, if not handled correctly, could make or break your business. Unfortunately, if you don’t take the time to learn about and understand these changing areas, you might be faced with some tough, and possibly damaging, issues to deal with. Some of the hottest issues weighing on the floor covering industry include: ·Industry consolidation With all the consolidation going on in the industry, what are your plans for the future? How is it affecting your business? Is consolidation good for you? For the industry? For consumers? ·Consumer awareness/spending Everyone wants consumers to spend more on floorcovering. They need more information to do that. Should the burden of educating consumers about floor covering be your responsibility or the manufacturers’? What should you be doing in your own business to get more consumer dollars? ·Big Boxes Have The Home Depot and Lowe’s affected your business? How will they affect your business in the future? What does their pricing mean to you? What are they doing that you should do? ·Recruiting installers There’s a serious shortage of installers already. How are you going to recruit them in the future? Where are they going to come from? Will they possess the skills necessary to keep the industry going? What are you going to do about these critical issues? What is everyone else already doing about them or planning to do about them? Don’t be left behind. Attend the all-new Town Hall at Surfaces 2004 to hear what the experts think about these concerns and get answers to your own business challenges. Surfaces’ first-ever Town Hall, which offers attendees an opportunity to “Come and Be Heard,” will feature a panel of experts from every facet of the industry—including a retailer, manufacturer, distributor and residential construction and floor covering industry forecasters. In addition to the critical issues mentioned above, Town Hall panelists will address questions submitted by attendees prior to the show. The moderator at the 2004 Town Hall will be K. Bruce Koepcke, President, New Horizons Marketing. Panelists will include David E. Polley, Vice President Marketing, The Dixie Group; Alan Braunstein, President, Worldwide Wholesale Floor Coverings; James Gould, Chairman of the Board, Misco Shawnee, Inc.; Tom Jennings, CFE, President, Bud Jennings Carpet One, and Chairman of the Board, World Floor Covering Association; Stuart Hirschhorn, Research Director, Catalina Research; and Kermit Baker, Senior Research Fellow, Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. An installer has just been added to the Town Hall panel to ensure all areas of the industry are covered. Joe Grady, General Manager, Diversified Resources Incorporated, will be present to help address installation issues. Town Hall will take place Wednesday, January 28 from 7:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m. The cost to attend is $10 before December 31 and $15 after December 31. Don’t forget: this cost includes a continental breakfast. In addition, this year’s inductee to the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) Hall of Fame will be announced prior to the start of Town Hall. Attendees should register today—space is filling up quickly. To register, go to www.SurfacesExpo.com and click on the Register Now button at the top of the page. Check Town Hall as one of the Special Events you’d like to attend at Surfaces. Or call 800-547-3477 or 972-536-6400 to request a brochure.

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