AHFA Sets Agenda for Marketing Conference
May 20, 2011
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New design, technology and regulatory trends have dramatically impacted the responsibilities of home furnishings marketers over the past year. Executives who want to optimize their performance in this new business landscape will gather in Asheville, N.C., June 27-29 for an annual conference dedicated to building their knowledge and skills.
Sponsored by the American Home Furnishings Alliance, this educational and networking conference will be held at the Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park and is open to all industry marketing executives.
The educational program opens at 8 a.m. June 28 with an in-depth look at color, material and lifestyle trends influencing product design for 2012.
“The speed with which consumer trends impact product development and marketing has accelerated,” said Jackie Hirschhaut, AHFA vice president of marketing. “We’ve entered the era of ‘just-in-time’ marketing – by the time a color, design or lifestyle trend is identified, it is already influencing advertising, social media and all forms of visual merchandising.”
Per Nimer, director of Akzo Nobel’s trend research group, Analogue, will present color, material and trend inspirations. He is followed by Erika Woelfel, color marketing director for BEHR paints, who will explore how lifestyle and design trends influence color forecasts.
In a world where marketing communications are sometimes described as “viral,” thanks to the swift and surreptitious manner in which messages can spread, home furnishings marketers need a high-speed connection to market intelligence. Rick Babick, founder of Design Research Reports, will explain how design tracking can produce insights into consumer behavior that help companies quickly and efficiently manage their brands in an ever-changing marketplace.
Also on the June 28 agenda is another issue challenging today’s marketing executives: crisis communications. In March, the Consumer Product Safety Commission launched a public database of consumer product safety concerns. But the database almost immediately began serving as a public forum for consumers to air product performance and quality complaints – with millions of people listening in, including customers, competitors and attorneys.
Sponsored by the American Home Furnishings Alliance, this educational and networking conference will be held at the Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park and is open to all industry marketing executives.
The educational program opens at 8 a.m. June 28 with an in-depth look at color, material and lifestyle trends influencing product design for 2012.
“The speed with which consumer trends impact product development and marketing has accelerated,” said Jackie Hirschhaut, AHFA vice president of marketing. “We’ve entered the era of ‘just-in-time’ marketing – by the time a color, design or lifestyle trend is identified, it is already influencing advertising, social media and all forms of visual merchandising.”
Per Nimer, director of Akzo Nobel’s trend research group, Analogue, will present color, material and trend inspirations. He is followed by Erika Woelfel, color marketing director for BEHR paints, who will explore how lifestyle and design trends influence color forecasts.
In a world where marketing communications are sometimes described as “viral,” thanks to the swift and surreptitious manner in which messages can spread, home furnishings marketers need a high-speed connection to market intelligence. Rick Babick, founder of Design Research Reports, will explain how design tracking can produce insights into consumer behavior that help companies quickly and efficiently manage their brands in an ever-changing marketplace.
Also on the June 28 agenda is another issue challenging today’s marketing executives: crisis communications. In March, the Consumer Product Safety Commission launched a public database of consumer product safety concerns. But the database almost immediately began serving as a public forum for consumers to air product performance and quality complaints – with millions of people listening in, including customers, competitors and attorneys.
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