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| The Canadian Home Furnishings Market  Great news! The Canadian Home Furnishings Market is sold out. From January 10 to 13, 2009, some 400 exhibitors will gather at Mississauga's International Centre near Toronto to introduce professional visitors to a host of new products designed to meet the specific needs of Canadian consumers—this focus on Canadian furniture is precisely what continues to attract nearly 10,000 visitors to the Market each year. "We live in difficult times where solidifying our actions, consolidating our gains and continuing to renew ourselves as an industry has become indispensable, " said Jean François Michaud, Market CEO. "All experts agree that during these tumultuous times, even more creativity is needed to reach and motivate consumers." Indeed, exhibitors who launch their new products at the Market, as well as retailers attending the show, fully understand this new reality and are more in tune with the industry and its demands.The evolution of consumer markets When it comes to consumers, the price of a product is no longer their first incentive for buying furniture, mattresses and accessories. In fact, the best way to attract consumers is to focus on product quality, customization, functionality and environment. Today, manufacturers and retailers increasingly perceive furniture as an investment in the home, family life, and overall quality of life. As such, there is a need for retailers to offer the best selection of products in store. The furniture on display at this year's Market offers ways for retailers to meet these expectations for their customers: collections are perfectly suited to consumer lifestyles and relevant to the realities of daily living. A Market with local flavour! The Canadian Home Furnishings Market is deeply rooted in the Canadian marketplace. It offers a variety of furniture designed specifically for Canadian consumers, including: collections for every room in the house, juvenile and accent furniture, lighting, decorative accessories, as well as mattresses and bedding in a wide variety of styles. And with a growing trend toward diversified offers, retailers can find anything and everything they need for their stores at this year's Market. Two great events to improve your sales: a conference and a training seminar. In addition to its other highly enjoyable activities, this year's Market features a conference and a training seminar offering valuable insight for show visitors. Sunday January 11, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (the new Conference Centre, located in the International Centre) Conference: The Gender Intelligent Retailer by Joanne Thomas Yaccato. Although women are astute consumers who control 80% of dollars spent on consumer goods, they generally feel neglected by companies and not taken seriously as consumers. For Joanne Thomas Yaccato, the best way to reach women is to put their interests at the epicenter of business strategies. As a seasoned lecturer, Ms. Yaccato will help Market retailers better understand the female demographic, revealing, among other things, the different ways to create an environment where women will want to shop and spend their money—not to mention rant and rave about to all of their friends. President and founder of the Toronto consulting firm The Thomas Yaccato Group - Corporate Canada's Gender Lens, Joanne Thomas Yaccato is also a renowned writer in the business sector. Monday, January 12 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (the new Conference Centre, located in the International Centre). Training seminar: A Better Way to Sell a Mattress by Gerry Morris. (Free. Continental breakfast) Early on in his career, Gerry Morris wondered: "Why does a product as simple as a mattress require so much sales training?" He soon realized that the problem was not with the product itself, but rather the customer's attitude when buying a mattress. Gerry Morris's approach presents new ideas and new concepts that change perspectives and stimulate creativity by calling upon imagination and intuition—and not the memorization of sales techniques. This informative training seminar promotes a customized approach to every customer, helping retailers make better sales, more often. Over the past 20 years, Gerry Morris has trained thousands of mattress representatives and now crisscrosses North America to present his training seminars and workshops. He is also the author of Spring Training and Sell More Beds Guaranteed! Friendly get-togethers Market exhibitors and retailers are invited to gather at the Show's "5-7 Happy Hour" Kick-off Cocktail Party on Friday, January 9, at the entrance of the new Conference Centre, located in the International Centre. The Kick-Off Cocktail Party is sponsored by Furniture/Today magazine and will be held in conjunction with the Canadian Home Furnishings Awards Gala Cocktail. Saturday, January 10 at 6 p.m. (Hall 5) is the perfect time for the 2009 Trends Display Launch Party, sponsored by Furniture Style magazine. Once again, design professionals André Caron and Pierre D'Anjou are back with a creative and bold Trends Display concept to inspire retailers with new ideas for visual presentations in their stores. New and improved Buyer's Guide In keeping with the spirit of strengthening its ties to the industry, Market organizers have revamped this year's Buyer's Guide. The completely redesigned guide is now called The Show Magazine and serves as both an informative magazine and helpful planning tool for retailers. The Show Magazine features more pages about the latest products for retailers to check out, as well as better in-depth coverage of industry trends, events and developments. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Exhibition News :: home page |