Special Events Topic Descriptions

Tuesday, May 4 2010

Paint & Accessories Buying Event sponsored by Lancaster
Paint buyers have the opportunity to purchase orders through Lancaster at, the largest national paint & accessories specialty distributor. Visit the Paint & Accessories area of the Show floor where New Products and Special Spring Promotional Programs will be unveiled.
Tuesday, May 4th, all day, Booth #3727

Radio Stage
Nationally syndicated radio shows will be broadcasting LIVE from the National Hardware Show Radio Stage! For the latest new products and consumer trends, take a listen as the hosts deliver a sneak peek to their consumer listeners while previewing the products that retailers are sourcing at the show. Radio shows include: The Money Pit; Homefront with Danny Lipford; Handyman with Glenn Haege; The Gary Sullivan Show; On the House with the Carey Brothers and more!
Tuesday, May 4th, all day, Booth #TBD

What NOW? Selling to the Post-Crisis Consumer
With the worst of the economic downturn behind us, the question on the minds of many is “Now what?”. This high-level session will delve into the mind of the post-crisis consumer. We’ll explain the thoughts and attitudes that are guiding their behavior and purchasing patterns. Most importantly, we’ll share essential information that retailers can use to build sales and loyalty in a post-crisis economy.
Doug Stephens, President of Retail Prophet Consulting
Tuesday, May 4th, 9:30am, PDRA Enterprise Stage (Show Floor, Central Hall, PDRA Show)

The Evolving Home Improvement Industry
When it comes to relationships between retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers in the home improvement industry, there is little doubt that the dynamics are changing. This seminar will share the results of primary research that highlights exactly what today’s retailers want and need from the wholesalers and manufacturers they do business with.
Tuesday, May 4th, 10:00am, NRHA Stage and Industry Summit (Central Hall Lobby)

2009 Universe Study – State of the Industry
The latest Universe Study on the outdoor market giving the state of the industry update that includes the size of each category in the market as well as the distribution channels for those categories
Tuesday, May 4th, 10:00am, Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living Stage (North Hall Lobby)

The Customer You Don’t Know: Profiting from the coming Demographic Storm
Forget everything you think you know about the “average” consumer. You’ll learn who the new female head of household is and why you need to pay close attention to her? You’ll also discover how Generation Y (born 1985 to 2004) could esily out-consume the Baby Boomers and why Gen X won’t. This fast paced session will share the important strategies you’ll need to not only weather but also capitalize on the demographic storm!
Ken Gronbach, CEO of KGC Direct
Tuesday, May 4th, 10:00am, PDRA Enterprise Stage (Show Floor, Central Hall, PDRA Show)

The What and Where of 2010 Planned Home Improvement Projects
Knowing what home improvement projects consumers ware planning is a huge advantage in providing focus on what products to promote. The Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI) has been providing this key insight on a monthly basis to its members. Now HIRI is taking this to a new level by going beyond national and regional trends to identify the areas of greatest opportunities in the top 25 metropolitan areas. This brand new analysis will be based on data collected through March 2010 and will focus on what is hot in 29 specific project areas in and around the home. As an independent nonprofit organization HIRI is in a unique position to provide these insights. Directed by its membership of over 80 leading firms in the industry, HIRI is the primary authority for effective, useful information about home improvement products and services.
Fred Miller, Managing Director, Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI)
Tuesday, May 4th, 11:45am, NRHA Stage and Industry Summit (Central Hall Lobby)

Keynote:

“Why She Buys: The New Strategy for Reaching the World’s Most Powerful Consumers.”
Women are the engine of the global economy and buy nearly 80% of all consumer products. They hold the purse strings, and when they’ve got a tight grip on them as they do now, companies must be shrewder than ever to win them over. Just when executives have mastered becoming technology literate, they find there’s another skill they need: becoming female literate. This isn’t always easy. In a lively presentation based on her acclaimed book (called “essential reading” by The Wall Street Journal), Brennan educates audiences on the fundamentals of gender psychology, and the global trends driving women’s purchasing decisions. She provides a roadmap for businesses on how to evaluate sales, marketing, branding and product design from a female perspective.
Bridget Brennan, CEO Female Factor
Tuesday, May 4th, 12:00pm, NRHA Stage and Industry Summit (Central Hall Lobby)

Panel Discussion: Create Inspiration with Hard Goods and Green Goods
How can retailers integrate hard good and green goods into their displays to inspire their customers and maximize sales?
Faith Savage, Retail Manager, Goldsmith Seeds/Syngenta Flowers; Chris Sexton, Retail Market Manager, Conrad Fafard Inc.; Ron Greening, Director of Marketing, Dramm Corp., Tim Hodson, Editorial Director, Lawn & Garden Retailer Magazine
Tuesday, May 4th, 12:00pm, Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living Stage (North Hall Lobby)

Generation Bu Y: Connecting with the New Power Consumer
Generation Y, are today’s most enthusiastic shoppers and by 2017 they’ll have more spending power than Baby Boomers. As the first generation to grow up with the internet they think, relate and buy differently than any other generation.
Retailers will acquire an essential understanding of how Generation Y is fundamentally different from other generations, what motivates them to buy and what they’re looking for in their relationships with retailers and brands. Participants will acquire actionable strategies for using social media and emotionally engaging Gen Y.
Kit Yarrow Ph.D., Chair of the Psychology Department at Golden Gate University
Tuesday, May 4th, 1:00pm, PDRA Enterprise Stage (Show Floor, Central Hall, PDRA Show)

10 Projects Retailers Should Own
This seminar will offer retailers tactical advice on how to capture more project sales. We will discuss the 10 most popular projects retailers of all sizes can sell as well as the top 5 projects all lumber dealers should own. We will share information on how to promote, sell and service these projects as a way to capture sales and customer loyalty.
Tuesday, May 4th, 1:00pm, NRHA Stage and Industry Summit (Central Hall Lobby)

As Seen on TV Panel Discussion
In a mock talk show format, Giannetti interviews leading As Seen On TV marketers and retailers to reveal the secrets behind the As Seen On TV category’s explosive growth during the recession; and what retailers need to know to continue that growth during the recovery.
Peter Giannetti, editor-in-chief, HomeWorld Business
Tuesday, May 4th, 2:00pm, NRHA Stage and Industry Summit (Central Hall Lobby)

How to Increase the Value of Your Business
This seminar is positioned to appeal to both retailers and suppliers of lawn & garden products. The seminar helps companies learn how to value their own businesses, gives them 40 ways to improve it and then methods to fix the areas they are weak in.
Richard G. Pontz, The Lawn & Garden Performance Group LLC, Rick Piper, Brent Freeman, Piper International
Tuesday, May 4th, 2:00pm, Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living Stage (North Hall Lobby)

Retailer Innovation Roundtable
Despite the economic turmoil of 2009, some retailers blazed a path of innovation and creativity. While many focused on contraction, some resorted to action. Join us for a panel discussion with some of the industry’s most progressive paint and decorating retailers. Learn what they did and how you can do it too.
Tuesday, May 4th, 2:30pm, PDRA Enterprise Stage (Show Floor, Central Hall, PDRA Show)

Social Networking Roundtable
Whether its tweeting, blogging or Facebooking, social networking has made its impact on just about every area of our society. During this seminar you will hear from members of the home improvement channel who are using social networking to build their brands, manage their businesses and generate more sales.
Tuesday, May 4th, 2:30pm, NRHA Stage and Industry Summit (Central Hall Lobby)

HGTV Consumer Research
Consumer research with HGTV’s audience. It deals with all areas of the outdoor area including lighting, grills and furniture. Plus it highlights where the consumers look and shop for outdoor products. There is lots of valuable content in these studies.
Norman B. Hamilton, Casual Living Magazine
Tuesday, May 4th, 3:30pm, Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living Stage (North Hall Lobby)

26th Annual Golden Hammer Awards
Cocktail Hour and Awards Ceremony with Live Entertainment
All Retailers, Wholesalers and Distributors Admitted Free
Home Channel News presents the 26th Annual Golden Hammer Awards, recognizing elite suppliers who exemplify the gold standard by demonstrating their commitment to the support of retailer sales, marketing and partnership efforts.
Tuesday, May 4th, 5:00pm, Room N246

New Product Launch Spotlight Awards
These awards will be judged by top retailing and distributing companies
Tuesday, May 4th, 5:00pm, Stage in the Central Hall Lobby

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Keynote:

Ethical Leadership; Imagine the Possible; The Impact of Culture on Success.”
Former senior vice chairman of Wal-mart Stores, Inc., Soderquist was a driving force behind Wal-Mart’s rise to greatness. He was vice chairman and chief operating officer before ultimately becoming senior vice chairman. Continuing the legacy of Sam Walton as “keeper of the culture” is one of his primary responsibilities and Soderquiest firmly believes that business ethics are not a luxury, but an essential element in creating a high-performance organization.
Donald G. Soderquist, Former Senior Vice Chairman, Wal-Mart Stores
Wednesday, May 5th, 9:30am, NRHA Stage and Industry Summit (Central Hall Lobby)

Green-tailing: Turning Green into Green
Discover how to create a sustainable roadmap to new business and return on investment. You’ll learn why sustainability is here to stay and how you can leverage it to create new opportunities for sales, profit and customer loyalty. Understand the 3 P’s of the green movement…People, Planet, and Profit!
Justin Doak, President Ecoxera
Wednesday, May 5th, 9:30am, PDRA Enterprise Stage (Show Floor, Central Hall, PDRA Show)

What Works On-Line (WOW)
What Works Online is a fast-paced presentation that provided actionable tips and best practices on how your company can effectively use the Web to achieve its marketing and sales goals regardless of budget. The presentation will include: what online display ad units work best for achieving specific marketing goals; how to generate leads online; how to use and create effective email marketing; fundamentals of search engine marketing (organic pay per click); and how to integrate social networking into your online strategy.
Penny Schneck, Online Sales Manager, Reed Business Information Services Retail Group
Wednesday, May 5th, 10:30am, Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living Stage (North Hall Lobby)

NRHA’s Packaging and Merchandising Awards
This program will honor the industry’s most innovative manufacturers for their design and development of packaging, merchandising and point-of-purchase displays. Category and Best of Show winners will be announced during this awards ceremony and all of the finalists will be displayed at the Package and Merchandising Expo held at the NRHA Village. In addition to presenting awards for each of the Packaging and Merchandising categories, NRHA will present a “Best of Show” award for the top entry in both categories. NRHA will also honor one entry with the Environmental Packaging of-the-Year Award for exceptional advancements in “green” packaging initiatives.
Wednesday, May 5th, 10:45am, NRHA Stage and Industry Summit (Central Hall Lobby)

The Rise of Social Media
Facebook’s membershipis greater than the population of the United States. There are 1.2 billion videos watched on YouTube every day! And Twitter delivers approximately 1 million tweets every hour of every day. Social media is the fastest growing communication shift in history and it’s forever changing the way brands and consumers connect. And its growth is being fuelled by legions of customers just like yours. Learn what social media is all about and how savvy retailers are leveraging its power.
Doug Stephens, President of Retail Prophet Consulting
Wednesday, May 5th, 11:00am, NRHA Stage and Industry Summit (Central Hall Lobby)

Social Media and the Independent Garden Center: Stop Talking, Start Doing
It’s impossible to avoid talk of Twitter, Facebook and other social media in marketing and advertising circles, but is it worth the investment of time and money for garden center retailers? This session would show what one independent garden center is doing with social media to generate buzz and drive customers into their stores.
Kimberly Bird, Calloways Nursery, Vice President of Retail Marketing, Calloways Nursery; Paige Worthy, Managing Editor, Lawn & Garden Retailer
Wednesday, May 5th, 12:30pm, Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living Stage (North Hall Lobby)

Winning in a Multi-Cultural World
Realize the unprecedented buying power of the new mainstream African American, Asian and Latino markets. Find out what’s next in housing and who is buying; see why the building industry will never be the same. Who are the Baby Blenders and why will their generation change everything? Understand the strategies and tactics necessary to reach and connect with these critical consumer markets.
Wednesday, May 5th, 1:00pm, PDRA Enterprise Stage (Show Floor, Central Hall, PDRA Show)

NRHA Top Guns
Hardware Retailing magazine will once again bring together a panel of the industry’s most influential independent retailers to discuss their operations, their views on the industry and the stories behind their success. Past Top Gun honorees have included Boyden Moore of marvin’s Inc.; George Smith of Westlake Hardware; Bill Aubuchon Jr. of Aubuchon Hardware; Frank Filmeck of Busy Beaver Home Centers; Steven Ai of City Mill Ltd.; and many more of the indsutry’s most recognized retail leaders.
NRHA
Wednesday, May 5th, 1:00pm, NRHA Stage and Industry Summit (Central Hall Lobby)

Homewares Show® Awards
Best in Class Awards presented by National Hardware Show and HomeWorld Business Magazine
Wednesday, May 5th, 2:00pm, NRHA Stage and Industry Summit (Central Hall Lobby)

Social Media: Using Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to grow your business
Businesses are building awareness and sales through social media and you can too. This nuts and bolts session will take you through a guided tour of major social media channels like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. You’ll discover the social media philosophy and tactics of successful retailers. By the end of this session, you’ll be ready to join the conversation!
Doug Stephens, President of Retail Prophet Counsulting
Wednesday, May 5th, 2:00pm, PDRA Enterprise Stage (Show Floor, Central Hall, PDRA Show)

Garden Center Merchandising Case Study
Lawn & Garden Retailer’s Merchandiser of the Year will present a case study on the award-winning techniques they have implemented in their garden center to keep customers clamoring for everything new during an economic downturn.
Kimberly Bird, Vice President of Retail Marketing, Calloways Nursery; Paige Worthy, Managing Editor, Lawn & Garden Retailer
Wednesday, May 5th, 2:00pm, Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living Stage (North Hall Lobby)

Understanding Today’s DIYer
As the economy has changed more consumers are picking up their hammers and tape measures and tackling their own home improvement projects. This seminar features brand new, proprietary research that delves into exactly what today’s consumers are thinking when it comes to d-i-y activity. We will discuss consumer attitudes and d-i-y, what areas of the home they are concentrating on, which projects they are tackling and where they are turning for their supplies. It is a can’t miss seminar for anyone in the industry.
Wednesday, May 5th, 3:00pm, NRHA Stage and Industry Summit (Central Hall Lobby)

Editor’s Choice Awards
Popular mechanics host the Editor’s Choice Awards, where editors determine winning products and trends, chosen from thousands of exhibitor booths at the Show.
Wednesday, May 5th, 4:00pm, Central Hall Booth #TBD

Retailers Choice Awards
For more than 30 years Hardware Retailing magazine has been singling out the best of the best products at the National Hardware Show with its Retailers’ Choice Awards. Unlike other award programs, products selected to receive a Retailers’ Choice Award aren’t chosen by editors, they are selected by a panel of distinguished retailers who buy and sell products for a living. This program not only honors manufacturers for their innovation but it also helps retailers single out new and innovative products to check out at the show.
Wednesday, May 5th, 5:00pm, NRHA Stage and Industry Summit (Central Hall Lobby)

International Reception
An annual networking event for all International attendees and exhibitors.
Wednesday, May 5th, 4:00pm, North Hall N246

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Going Beyond the Core
As retailers look for ways to drive sales and attract more traffic they continue to expand into new complementary categories like farm and ranch, sporting goods, outdoor lifestyles and more. This seminar will look at some of these emerging categories and share information about how retailers are using these unique niches to increase business.
NRHA
Thursday, May 6th, 9:00am, NRHA Stage and Industry Summit (Central Hall Lobby)

It’s a Wired, Wired World: The Future of Retail Technology
Today’s tech savvy customer may know more about your products than your best-trained staff. Technology is changing the way consumers shop and most importantly, it’s arming them with unprecedented amounts of information.
Doug Stephens, President of Retail Prophet Consulting
Thursday, May 6th, 9:30am, PDRA Enterprise Stage (Show Floor, Central Hall, PDRA Show)

Appeal to a New & Emerging Customer Base
5 New ways to connect through Family Events; Online Communities; Gathering Places; Your Team and Creative Outreach and Marketing. Practice New Vocabulary
Bill Calkins – IGC Business Manager, Ball Horticultural Company
Thursday, May 6th, 9:30am, Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living Stage (North Hall Lobby)

Growing with the Next Generation
Today’s younger consumers didn’t grow up gardening like their Baby Boomer parents did. Many don’t even know independent garden centers exist. So what’s a garden center to do? Will this generation require drastically different strategies to draw them in? How can garden centers become relevant with younger gardeners?
Kelly D. Norris, Rainbow Iris Farm; Paige Worthy, Managing Editor, Lawn & Garden Retailer
Thursday, May 6th, 10:30am, Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living Stage (North Hall Lobby)

More Effective Marketing!
Branding is something that is often discussed but far more rarely understood. During Phil Mitchell’s presentation he will discuss branding: what it is, how to build it, its dynamic nature, how it affects a store’s success and, finally, ways in which it can be more effectively communicated.

While most retailers probably realize that communication of brand is a key element to their store’s success, they also need to understand that there are fundamental changes which are occurring in the way those messages can be delivered. And, as we move forward, in an age in which digital communication is becoming increasingly important, it is critical for dealers to understand the opportunities created by this evolution. A primary goal of this presentation will be to help retailers understand how they can maximize the impact of their marketing budgets by recognizing the factors of “time and space” as regards advertising’s effectiveness.
Phil Mitchell, Discovery-Based Retail
Thursday, May 6th, 11:00am, NRHA Stage and Industry Summit (Central Hall Lobby)

The Talent Glut: Why North America’s Employee Talent Pool Will Soon Be Bottomless
Learn how the United States will benefit from the dramatic demographic shift in its labor market, from the entitled employee’s market to an over whelming employer’s market. Discover how you can prepare for the challenges of three generations in the workplace. Find out why productivity in the United States will reach new heights. Discover the new entrepreneurs and what kind of businesses will they start. Learn what you’ll need to know to make this shift work for you.
Ken Gronbach, CEO of KGC Direct
Thursday, May 6th, 11:00am, PDRA Enterprise Stage (Show Floor, Central Hall, PDRA Show)