It’ll be back to Las Vegas for BrandSource come March, when the buying group for independent tech, appliance and furniture dealers will hold its annual Summit meeting and product expo.
Joining the BrandSource membership at The Summit 2020 will be dealers from the group’s affiliate organizations, including its Canadian cousins, Mega Group and BrandSource Canada, and ProSource, the leading buying group for tech retailers and custom integrators.
The event, slated for March 8-11 at The Venetian Resort and Sands Expo Convention Center complex, will carry the theme of “Tomorrow Starts Today” – a simple reminder that the key to members’ future is contingent upon taking that first step toward realizing their goals.
To help the collective membership along the way, BrandSource has lined up a power-packed itinerary replete with educational sessions, state-of-the-industry updates, an expansive product expo showcasing this year’s latest and greatest, and expert speakers from every corner of the industry.
The confab kicks off on Sunday, March 8, with a series of marketing workshops and vendor training sessions. Those will be followed by a marketing update by John White, Chief Marketing Officer of BrandSource parent AVB Inc., and a website primer by BrandSource Marketing VP Brian Wattier, underscoring the importance the group places on digital initiatives. The day will be capped off with a get-together for BrandSource newcomers and a welcome reception for BrandSource members, vendors and guests.
The Summit 2020 will hit its stride on Monday (March 9), when AVB CEO Jim Ristow takes the stage for his traditional State of the Union address. He will be followed by keynoter Jeremy Gutsche, a best-selling author and CEO of Trend Hunter, reportedly the world’s largest trend website with more than 3 billion views. Gutsche’s presentation, “Better + Faster,” will help attendees overcome the “neurological traps” that prevent people from realizing their full potential.
Monday will top out with the much-anticipated Stampede, where members can order deeply discounted, Summit-exclusive merchandise, followed by a BrandSource dinner reception at Tao Las Vegas.
Tuesday (March 10) will begin with a Women in Business breakfast featuring special guest Kate Wood, Co-Founder of Engage Your People, an employee engagement consultancy. The women’s business group, created by AVB six years ago to support female professionals in the appliance, furniture, mattress and consumer tech retail categories, will hear Wood outline a plan for implementing change in the workplace and in people’s lives.
Also on the Summit agenda is a Furniture Town Hall breakfast and industry update hosted by Seth Weisblatt, the group’s new Director of Home Furnishings, while later that morning AVB will open the doors to the massive Expo floor, where members from all affiliates will peruse all manner of new-model appliances, bedding, home furnishings and consumer electronics.
Other Summit highlights will include a Young Professionals networking soiree for the under-40 crowd, and educational sessions led by experts in their respective fields. Among the latter are Lynn Falk, Founder and President of Retailworks, an award-winning retail design, display and branding firm, who will speak to “Creating a Profitable Retail Environment”; speaker and author Eric Papp, who will help attendees “Discover the Possibilities with Laser-Focused Selling”; Futurecast President Jeff Fromm, who will share how-to’s on tapping into millennial and Gen Z consumers; and social media strategist Jenn Herman, who will help members navigate the social media marketing landscape.
For more information email AVB at eventsupport@avb.net.
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