- Posted by Paul Friederichsen on March 11, 2010
Thoughts on the Surfaces Educational Advisory Council for 2011
In just over ten months, thousands of floor covering dealer owners, sales managers, sales associates, and installers, will be investing a considerable amount of hard-earned money and precious time away from their businesses to travel hundreds or thousands of miles away from home to learn something they didn’t know and to improve in areas that will improve their bottom line.
The past couple of days, individuals from different sectors of the floor covering industry also traveled hundreds or thousands of miles, not to Las Vegas where Surfaces is held each year, but to Dallas – home of Hanley Wood’s trade show division. There, representatives from manufacturing, retail, publishing, marketing, communications and design, together with top execs from Hanley Wood’s staff, pondered the future. Together, over many hours of discussion, analysis and collegial debate, we prepared for the arrival of dealers seeking a better way of doing their profession – long before they’ve even considered looking.
The process is amazingly efficient, well orchestrated and exceedingly hospitable, thanks to the preparation of the Hanley Wood staff. Their attention to detail, attentiveness and responsiveness to hundreds of comments and suggestions voiced by council members is truly a labor of love. Those chosen and invited by them to participate in the process are likewise committed, knowing the importance of their contribution to the quality of the educational experience is as paramount as honoring the responsibility to give back to the industry they love.
Weeks beforehand, consultants, trainers and industry experts submit proposals to speak at Surfaces on a variety of topics – the vast majority of which have a direct bearing on the success of the retailer. Surfaces is a coveted platform to address the industry, so consideration is a serious business. Does the speaker’s topic relate to the most important needs of the retailer? Is the speaker the most qualified person to deliver that information? How was the speaker or the topic judged by attendees previously? Is there anything missing that needs to be added to the curriculum? And so on. We probe, we challenge, we look at speaker’s websites. Then we look at the educational component of the show as a whole … do we have enough courses on business? Do we have too many in marketing? What should we add to installation?
By the time we head for the airport, we’re confident that we’ve once again framed-out the best, most comprehensive educational experience in the industry. Then the hard work begins for Hanley Wood to nail it all down by following up with the speakers, fine-tuning, adjusting and scheduling.
So often through the act of serving, you actually get back more than you give. Such is the case with participating on the advisory council. The friendships and mutual respect forged during our time together is golden. And ten months from now, we hope that it is just as rewarding for the attendee.