Ed Expo returns to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, March 18 through 20, and as in past years, attendees can expect to find manufacturers and distributors exhibiting a wide range of new educational materials, furniture, supplies and services for the classroom.
In addition to the displays, educational workshops and special sessions this year provide valuable information for retailers who are looking to improve their marketing, turn their inventory more often throughout the year, and decipher store numbers to come up with financial solutions. Early afternoon sessions scheduled for Wednesday, March 17, include the following.
SMARTBuying: Using Current Trends to Pick Hot Sellers!
Ed dealer Susan Savoie of Teacher Heaven will lead a discussion of the current trends in teaching and offer a range of products designed to meet customers needs. Sponsored by the Retail Store Council, the workshop will help buyers determine what to focus on when shopping the aisles of Ed Expo. Audience participation is encouraged and prizes will be awarded.
Combat Medic For Retailers: The Secrets Of Marketing Cheaper and Smarter Than Your Competition
Professional speaker and consultant Bob Phipps, otherwise known as “The Retail Doctor,” provides concrete tips on how to effectively target business marketing efforts. This workshop will explain, in layman’s terms, how the Internet really works, and how to use multiple sites to build customer loyalty and increase sales.
Financial Fitness Boot Camp – Taking Control of Your Financial Health
Jason Bader, managing partner of The Distribution Team, will discusses how to translate NSSEA’s Retail Store Report data into non-financial language. By doing so, retailers can identify the sources of common distribution challenges, form a game plan to correct areas of concern and set attainable goals for future improvement. Bader is a former distributor with 20 years of experience; The Distribution Team specializes in providing inventory management training, business operations consulting and technology utilization to the wholesale distribution industry.
A second Financial Fitness Boot Camp session, “Finding the Balance: Stock Levels and Customer Demand,” will be held later on Wednesday. It will provide strategies for analyzing product movement, reducing inventory without consequences, providing exceptional customer service through stocking levels, using ROI tools and communicating financial expectations to suppliers.
Boot Camp participants can sign up to meet individually with Bader on Thursday morning, March 18, for a 20-minute consulting session on overcoming operational management challenges.
Other sessions scheduled for Wednesday include “SMARTSelling,” a merchandising workshop with Teacher Heaven’s Susan Savoie and Bryan Bundgaard of American School Supply; “Website Secrets Techies Don’t Tell You: The Inside Scoop On Electronic Marketing For Your Small Business,” a practical guide to Internet marketing with Bob Negen of WhizBang Training.
New this year are manufacturer-sponsored training sessions. These 25-minute sessions on Thursday and Friday morning will give dealers an in-depth look at the unique features and benefits that can be used to sell product to customers.
At 8 a.m. on Saturday, Eric Stone, a former director of the Legal Division of the Office of Compliance and Field Operations at the Consumer Product Safety Commission, will share recent developments with CPSIA.
Visit www.nssea.org to learn more, make a reservation at one of the official host hotels or use Ed Expo’s new interactive planning tool “My Planner,” designed to help attendees make the most of their time at the show. |
Schedule
Tuesday, March 16
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Exhibit Setup
12:30 to 1:30 p.m. NSSEA Leadership Orientation Luncheon
Afternoon NSSEA Leadership Meetings
Wednesday, March 17
7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. JLS Charity Golf Outing
8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. NSSEA Leadership Meetings
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Exhibit Setup
1:15 to 3 p.m. Educational Workshops
• Financial Fitness Boot Camp – Taking Control of Your Financial Health
• Combat Medic For Retailers: The Secrets Of Marketing
Cheaper and Smarter Than Your Competition
• SMARTBuying: Using Current Trends to Pick Hot Sellers!
3:15 to 5 p.m. Educational Workshops
• Financial Fitness Boot Camp – Finding the Balance:
Stock Levels and Customer Demand
• Website Secrets Techies Don’t Tell You: The Inside
Scoop On Electronic Marketing For Your Small Business
• SMARTSelling: Don’t Wait for Demand, Create Demand
5 to 6:30 p.m. Welcome Reception
Thursday, March 18
7 a.m. Continental Breakfast
8 to 9 a.m. Manufacturer-Sponsored Training Sessions
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EXHIBITS OPEN
5 to 8 p.m. Casino Party
Friday, March 19
7 a.m. Free Continental Breakfast
8 to 9 a.m. Manufacturer-Sponsored Training Sessions
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EXHIBITS OPEN
5:15 to 5:45 p.m. Annual Meeting/Recognition Program
5:45 to 7 p.m. International Members Reception
Saturday, March 20
7:30 a.m. Free Continental Breakfast
8 to 9 a.m. CPSIA: What Your Business Still Needs to Know
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. EXHIBITS OPEN
2 p.m. to evening Exhibit Dismantle
Sunday, March 21
8 a.m. to noon Exhibit Dismantle
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