Phoenix—Flooring America/Flooring Canada kicked off its rebranded bi-annual meeting Thursday, now called “conneXtion.”
The meeting connects its more than 500 independent floor covering retailers at the Phoenix Convention Center.
The company said it wants the meeting to become what “SXSW (South by Southwest)” is to technology and music industry.
According to the group, “2014’s marketing initiatives will focus on connecting to the consumer by continuing to leverage customer reviews and referrals across social channels, reaching new audiences through digital campaigns, refreshing traditional creative campaigns and capitalizing on local events to build stronger relationships within our members’ communities.”
The organization tapped Guy Kawasaki, well-known Silicon Valley author, social media guru, speaker, investor and business advisor, as the keynote speaker. Most recently, Kawasaki joined Google as an advisor to Motorola to create a Google+ mobile device community.
According to Keith Spano, president of Flooring America and Flooring Canada, 45% of the organization’s members had a 20% increase in business last year over 2012, and the vast majority outpaced the industry growth of 5%.
“As a company, we recognize the importance of the millennial, LGBT and Hispanic shopper as being vital to the future growth of the business,” Spano said.
“Last year, we formed a 30 Under 30 council comprised of thirty individuals from our 500 independent retailers who possess an entrepreneurial spirit and who fit a similar profile to the millennial segment to gain valuable insight as we launch the 2014 marketing campaigns.”
In addition, at the meeting the organization will unveil its new Lead Delivery System (LDS) application designed to enable sales and design consultants to easily access customer information.