The three-day track meet also known as Surfaces convenes this week at Mandalay Bay, where thousands of attendees will greet customers, check out the latest trends and prospect for new business—all while trying to maintain their sanity.
Are all the steps worth it? When you consider that Surfaces provides the opportunity to see a magnitude of products and services all under one roof, the answer is yes, it’s worth it. After all, no other flooring show brings more people and products together.
FCNews asked seasoned Surfaces retailers about their objectives for this year’s show, and to what extent their approach has evolved over the years.
“Our approach to Surfaces has evolved quite a bit over the years. These days, we make it a point to meet with our larger vendors ahead of the event to review their product launches. By doing this, we avoid the hectic atmosphere of the Surfaces crowd and have more in-depth discussions. This strategy frees up our time during the show to explore and discover new products and vendors that we might otherwise miss. We’ve found that this approach has significantly benefited our go-to-market strategy.”
– DAVE CHAMBERS, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Omaha, Neb.
“To be efficient with time management we break it down as follows: A) the must-see vendors, B) the vendors we really want to see, and C) the ‘if time allows’ vendors. We map out the showroom and plan the best way to attack the showroom. We’re at Surfaces to see what’s new, what’s coming up, what we can recommend to our buying group. There have been times I’ve been with the buying group to make some decisions.”
– DON CANTOR, Lake Interiors, Chelan, Wash.
“I have been attending for about five years now, and for me the way I plan my schedule has been the biggest change. As soon as the floor plan is published, I make a list of all the vendors I want to see and assign a time. Since I do it so early, I can typically get the appointment I request. This allows me to take an efficient route through the show and not waste time traversing the floor—and inevitably get distracted. I leave a certain amount of time to browse new vendors as well.”
– SAM LOCHER, A.J. Rose Carpets & Flooring, Burlington, Mass.
“My strategies have not changed much. We have a lot of success selling products that we stock, so Surfaces is a great opportunity for me to stock up on new products.’
– ERIC BUEHLER, CarpetsPlus Colortile Wyoming, Thayne, Wyo.
“We used to come to the show looking for a new vendor or product that we may not have seen in our local territory. For several different reasons, as the years have gone by, we have become more focused on the manufacturers and distributors who supported us when the going got tough. It is easy for someone to sell you a ‘can’t–miss’ product. What are they going to do when the product does miss? That’s the question you must ask yourself.”
– LUPE BROOKHART, Sterling Carpet & Flooring, Anaheim, Calif.
“Our Surfaces strategy hasn’t changed. We work from appointments and book ourselves solid from early in the morning until the end of the day each day. While we are walking from appointment to appointment, we keep our eyes open for any potential new suppliers. If necessary, one of us may split off to find out some more information about the potential new supplier.”
– SAM O’KRENT, O’Krent Floors, San Antonio
“In the past I was guilty of booking hourly appointments for the entire event, which allowed very little time to research potential new vendors. I now allow two hours of appointment–free time each day that we dedicate to walking the floor. This exercise has proven to be very beneficial to our business. We don’t buy at the Surfaces event.”
– SCOTT BROWNE, Macco’s Floor Covering, Green Bay, Wis.
“In the past, you looked forward to Surfaces to get those big ‘deals’ that could get you through the next six months. Today, however, with the excess of shows and meetings, we’re afforded the opportunity to make those deals earlier in the month. Not just that, our reps are working hard for Bob’s, and we feel getting good pricing throughout the year is becoming more of a priority.”
–ASHLIE BUTLER, Bob’s Carpet & Flooring, Tampa
