Mark your calendar with these
important dates for 2005.

July 28-30
Suppliers/T&L/Mfg/HR/IT Meeting
Embassy Suites
Kingston Plantation
Myrtle Beach, SC

August 3-5
Marketing/Public Relations Meeting
Charleston Place
Charleston, SC

August 10-11
Safety School
Embassy Suites
Greensboro, NC

September 27-28
Financial Management Seminar
Ballantyne Resort Hotel
Charlotte, NC

September 27-October 1
Environmental/Safety & Health Conference-Expo
Embassy Suites
Kingston Plantation
Myrtle Beach, SC

November 17-20
AHFA Annual Meeting
Ritz Carlton
Lake Las Vegas, NV

December 7
Economic Outlook Conference
Grandover Resort
Greensboro, NC



Operations Conference Spotlights
Best Practices

Industry leaders in a variety of operational areas will spotlight best practices and update current issues during AHFA’s 2005 Operations Conference July 28-30 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Human resources, information technology, manufacturing and transportation/logistics professionals will all benefit from targeted breakout sessions at the conference. All sessions focus on the current status of key issues and concerns impacting the industry, as well as best practices for overcoming challenges.

An optional 12:30 p.m. golf outing at the Arcadian Shores Golf Course in Myrtle Beach on Thursday, July 28, begins the weekend for those who wish to participate. A 6:30 p.m. reception that same evening officially opens the conference.

Business sessions commence at 7:30 a.m. Friday, July 29. The opening general session is “The People Side of the Furniture Business,” an insightful and humorous look at our ability to understand and deal with the human side of today’s workplace. The speaker, Dan Baker, has been a consultant to the trucking industry for 30 years and currently works with more than 300 trucking companies across the U.S. and Canada.

“Using his special brand of humor, plus his insight and experience, Mr. Baker will help us see that the major source of our problems, as well as our solutions, resides in the mirror,” says Brent Burton, AHFA vice president of transportation & logistics.

Breakout sessions will run until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, with a group lunch planned at midday. Focus area sessions continue on Saturday from 8 a.m. to the close of the conference at noon.

Human resources topics include: labor and employment law, industry and national trends in safety and health, a management guide to avoiding lawsuits and liability, the HR side of lean manufacturing, trends in employee benefits, and common mistakes in worker compensation cases.

Information technology topics include: current issues being addressed by the IT Council, optimizing the supply chain for customer satisfaction, a Microsoft mini-conference, a retail discussion panel on logistics issues, and enterprise security.

Manufacturing topics are: organizing and leading a successful lean transformation, successful domestic manufacturing, and packaging trends.

Transportation/logistics sessions include: update on current trucking industry issues, latest developments in customs compliance and security, driver issues, top challenges for specialized furniture carriers, intermodal container drayage, a logistics “check-up,” an ocean carrier discussion panel, and steps for controlling fuel costs.

Executives from all of these operational areas also will have the opportunity to hear industry analyst Jerry Epperson of Mann, Armistead and Epperson, Richmond, Va., examine the statistical changes occurring within the industry.

Supplier Division members attending the operational conference are invited to attend any sessions that match their areas of interest and networking needs.

The conference is being held at the Embassy Suites Kingston Plantation. Reservations should be made directly with the hotel by calling 800/876-0010. Member registration is $450 for the first attendee from a company; $395 for additional attendees from the same company. A registration form is available here.

Jump-Start 2006 Marketing Efforts

AHFA’s 2005 Marketing Meeting will help companies shape their marketing messages to more effectively sell to diverse and highly informed American consumers.

The August 3-5 event at Charleston Place in Charleston, S.C., will introduce industry executives to innovative marketing strategies being employed to target specific consumer groups, from those furnishing a first home to those “trading up” to second or third homes.

“Although this agenda is targeted to marketing executives, it will be rich in insights company presidents and CEOs can use in making strategic decisions for their companies,” states Jackie Hirschhaut, AHFA’s vice president of marketing and public relations.

Among the top presenters is David Liu, CEO of TheNest.com, an inventive, home-oriented website developed by creators of The Knot, a leading wedding website. Focused on providing stylish ideas while solving problems, TheNest.com offers the “just married” set – 2.3 million couples a year – interactive tools to help them explore the fundamentals of turning a house into a home.

Additional topics confirmed for the marketing agenda include:

  • “Trading Up: When Generations Move Into the Next Life Stage,” presented by Charles Kennedy, senior vice president of social trends for DYG, Inc.;
  • “Taking the consumer to Heart: The Creation of a New Shopping Experience,” Bob Stec, chairman and CEO, Lexington Home Brands;
  • “Branding Through Corporate Communications,” Holly Stewart, senior marketing communications manager, VF Jeanswear; and,
  • “The New American Home,” Cheryl O’Brien, president of C. O’Brien Architects.

Marketing sessions will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on August 4 and from 8 a.m. to noon on August 5.

As an added bonus, a half-day public relations seminar is offered just prior to the marketing meeting. The cost of the PR seminar is included in the registration for the marketing meeting. However, PR specialists may elect to attend the PR seminar only. Registration for the half-day seminar is $100. Sessions include:

  • “Maximizing Your Media Buy,” David Becker, president and CEO, and Adam Batt, senior vice president media operations, Blue Plate Media Services, New York;
  • “How to Get Your Products on TV,” Vicki Payne, president, and Sloan Payne-Rutter, Cutters Productions, Charlotte, N.C.;
  • “Inside the Editor’s Studio,” an entertaining, James Lipton-style interview with Charlyne Varkoni-Schaub, Home and Garden Editor for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and one of the industry’s most prolific furniture writers.
  • “AHFA – The Media Center and More,” an overview of AHFA’s public relations program and services.

There will be a welcome reception and dinner for attendees after the seminar on August 3. Continental breakfasts will be offered the mornings of August 4 and 5. Cost for the two-day program is $500. Complete program details, along with a registration form, are available here. Click on “Events” and scroll down to Annual Marketing Meeting. Hotel reservations should be made directly with Charleston Place. Call 800/831-3490, or email groupres@charlestonplace.com.

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