Seminars Set for Home Textiles Show

White Plains, N.Y. — A series of seminars — addressing specialty retailing trends and luxury market opportunities — and special events with New York City flair, will highlight the winter 2007 editions of the New York Home Textiles Show and concurrent personal care show, EX-TRACTS, according to show producer George Little Management (GLM).

"The targeted events at the Metropolitan Pavilion are valuable resources for the home textiles and personal care industries, as well as important destination for gift and home market participants looking for upscale, luxury offerings in these categories," said Penny Sikalis, GLM vp and group show director.

The seminars (all times EST) include:

• New Buyer Orientation Webinar, a pre-show event set for Jan. 16 at 3 p.m. Retailers can dial in and log on to learn how to navigate the shows efficiently and effectively, place orders, and follow-up with exhibitors.
• 10 Best Specialty Retailing Trends in the U.S., Jan. 28, at the Metropolitan Pavilion. Find out what's working for specialty stores today and how these winning strategies — for fixturing, overall ambiance, direct mail, and more — can be applied to the sale of home fashion products.
• The Luxe Life — Targeting Today's Affluent Consumer will offer an in-depth look at the luxury segment of the home furnishings market, Jan. 29 at the Metropolitan Pavilion. Becky Boswell Smith, editor of Home Accents Today, moderates a panel of industry experts to explore purchasing habits of affluent shoppers. Featured will be exclusive research results from Relish, a new publication for the luxury market. (Both publications are affiliated with HTT's parent company, Reed Business Information.)

• Working Globally: Succeeding in the Transition, Jan. 30, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., at the Metropolitan Pavilion. Executives Working in Home Textiles will host this special lunch program for the home textiles industry. Jennifer Marks, Home Textiles Today editor-in-chief, will lead a panel discussion with people who have made successful career transitions to overseas and offshore employment.

All seminars and events require advance registration. Complete program details, schedule information and registration are available online at www.nyhometextiles.com and www.extractsny.com. For information about the EWHT lunch, which is free for EWHT members and $40 for all others, visit www.ewht.com, or contact EWHT at infoewht@yahoo.com.

Additional seminars — addressing visual merchandising, gift trends, big box best practices and pitfalls, plus design as a sales and marketing strategy — will be presented at the Javits Convention Center as part of the New York International Gift Fair. These sessions are open to attendees of the New York Home Textiles Show and EXTRACTS. Complete details about these programs are available online at www.nyigf.com.