The 2023 ICFA Educational Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, wrapped up at the beginning of March, and now that manufacturers and retailers have had time to fully digest the presentations they saw and experiences they had, Casual News Now reached out to see what they learned.
President of Summer Classics Private Label Harold Hudson, who is also past chairman of the board for ICFA and a current board member, says one of the speakers, Betsy Allen, talked about “Rest and Recharge,” and that hit home for him. “She talked about how to reduce stress, and I have already implemented some of her suggestions,” he says. It works.
Discussing another presentation, Hudson says, “We had three consumers who are in the market for outdoor furniture, and they gave some great insight into how the consumer approaches large buy decisions. Warren Juliano led the discussion with this panel in the past and he does a great job with his questions.”
On an evening activity, Hudson says, “The entire group went bowling one night, and I learned that I need to stick with pickup basketball.”
He says he feels the conference is important to attend because it allows for valuable interactions in a relaxed setting with fellow retailers, manufacturers and suppliers. The one-on-one conversations can be eye-opening and informative, he adds.
His favorite parts?
“The consumer panel and the breakout session on ‘Do it yourself social media’ by Jessica Salisbury and Jessie Knudson with (Rockford, Illinois-based) Village Green and the Retailer Panel on store growth with four retailers were very helpful,” he says.
Brad Schwieg, president of Dallas-based Sunnyland Outdoor Living, also said Village Green’s session was useful and that it was nice to hear advice and guidance about industry-specific topics.
“They gave examples that we can relate to and showed us how they run their social media, and it really is nice to hear from peers,” Schweig says.
He also adds that he liked the store tours, as they are always educational, and being able to talk to consumers who were interested in purchasing outdoor furniture was a “great way to see what people’s opinions are and what they are talking about when it comes to furniture.”
For Candy Chase, national sales manager at Treasure Garden, the ICFA Educational Conference is “truly all about connecting with your industry friends from all elements of the business.”
“We work in a very intimate, close industry where all parties, whether competitors or not, come together to learn, refresh, commiserate, communicate and revel in each other’s company for three-plus days.”
This year’s conference did not disappoint, she says.
“My favorite thing this year was the keynote speakers both at the beginning and end of the conference” she says. “These speakers focused on self-reflection, reenergization and recommitment to being the best you can be. The past few years have been exceptionally difficult with the pandemic affecting every element of most businesses. We have all had to adapt to survive and prosper, and it has been taxing. These speakers acknowledged that and directed their encouraging words to every one of us to basically refocus our attention to what WE can do to help ourselves AND our colleagues thrive. It must start with YOU.”
One of the most valuable parts to Chase is connecting on an even deeper level with colleagues that deal with the exact same issues she does.
“These sessions only strengthen your ability to maneuver through all the current and ongoing challenges,” she says. “To be able to get away from the everyday trials and tribulations of doing business and cajole with our colleagues in this great industry makes the time away valuable and truly a lot of fun.”
