The Home Furnishings Leadership Institute is a four-day program that prepares retailers for the next level of professional growth. Developed in conjunction with Louisiana State University (LSU) Executive Education, this in-depth, highly personalized program focuses on the core competencies necessary to run a successful retail home furnishings operation, including strategic thinking, planning and execution.

The Program

Developing and retaining strong, strategic leaders is one of the most important investments that an organization can make to ensure future growth and sustainability. To assist organizations in making this investment, the Home Furnishings Association has worked in concert with LSU Executive Education to offer a Home Furnishings Leadership Institute for individuals in the mid to upper career levels within a home furnishings retail operation.

Building Strategic Leaders

Combining face-to-face instruction with the campus environment of LSU, this program provides participants with an intellectually stimulating learning atmosphere where they will assess their effectiveness, learn to capitalize on their strengths, identify and improve upon their weaknesses, and increase their awareness of the economic, social, and competitive environments in which their companies operate.

Who Should Attend:

– Managers who are working in areas of the business where an organization-wide point of view will prove helpful in their development.
– Managers who have progressed rapidly within the organization or managers who have been identified as having the capacity for greater responsibility within the near future.
– New business owners or individuals who desire to sharpen their analytics, leadership, social and decision-making skills.

More Details

You’re invited to the Midwest and one of the country’s most vibrant cities! The Home Furnishings Association’s Insights Experience visits Cleveland, Ohio, August 14-15 with a focus on creating rock star leaders!

Connect

Welcome to Cleveland, a once fading industrial city, revitalized Cleveland features a thriving bar, arts and music scene, and start-ups that are luring America’s youngest and brightest employees. What better place than to host an Insight into leadership. Connect with old and new friends alike over drinks, foods, and music.

Discover

Discover leadership lessons from compelling speakers whose high-level work experiences range from Southwest Airlines to the Cleveland Clinic. Engage in a networking lunch to share your own Insights. And, since Cleveland is all about comebacks, return to the Solution Room to translate those insights into action plans. Which is appropriate, because the next step is to…

Lead

What would be a trip to Cleveland without a pilgrimage to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? A mistake! Here you will nominate the next inductee, Lead a discussion for your selection and Voice your Choice! Oh, yeah, cocktails, dinner, a tour, scavenger hunt and pinball wizardry are all part of the show!

Event Overview

For over 20 years, the Inland Empire Golf Classic has been entertaining and benefiting worthy charities thanks to the support of our community. This time is no different. Join us on September 19th for a day of fun for a great cause! We’ll be competing for multiple prizes like our Hole in One, or Putting Contests. This day is not to be missed, especially if you’re in the area!

Email Kiara Stevens at kstevens@myhfa.org or call 800.422.3778 to register!

About the Spokane Police Activities League
The Spokane Police Activities League (Spokane PAL) is a partnership program developed by Spokane community leaders and the Spokane Police Department. We work with At- Risk Youth and their families to help establish respect and understanding.

The object of this program is to engage potential at-risk youth with positive athletic, academic and community service programs that will secure their path to a successful, healthy and prosperous adulthood.

You’re invited to the Pacific Northwest and one of the country’s most vibrant cities! The Home Furnishings Association’s Insights Experience visits Portland, Oregon, June 17-18 with a focus on Branding Your Business.

June 17, 2019

CONNECT

Welcome to the Pacific Northwest! We’ll renew old friendships and make new ones over drinks and snacks on the evening of June 17, play some warm-up games and meet solution partners. The next morning, we’ll get down to business: defining problems and discussing strategies for creating story-centered branding that engages customers and drives them into your stores.

June 18, 2019

DISCOVER

9:00am – 10:30am

How Tiny, Creative Decisions Can Build a Robust Social Media Presence

Aaron Draplin, Owner, Draplin Design Company

Your branding is telling the story of your business. The emergence of social media has changed the consumer’s role from passive listener to active participant.  Social media has also transformed how culture works in a way that weakens certain traditional branding techniques.  Branding guru and social media savant, Aaron Draplin, Draplin Design Company, will share stories from some of his biggest branding campaigns that have worked and why.  He will also give us tried and true tactics and creative ideas on how to set yourself from the pack.  You will walk away with tools you can implement immediately. www.draplin.com

11:30am-1:30pm  

Branding with intention, the McMenamins way

McMenamins, a family owned chain of brewpubs, breweries, wineries and historic hotels in the Pacific Northwest, connects with customers through emotional branding. Its three-tiered model of engagement folds history, art and entertainment into memorable experiences that forge lifetime loyalties. We’ll nestle into a renovated school, now a hotel and brewpub, to feel the McMenamins brand and learn its marketing secrets. www.mcmenamins.com

2:00pm – 3:30pm 

Meet an influencer and find out why you need one

Portland personality Cait Pearson is a young woman who’s quickly making a name for herself through her popular blog and podcast, She’s Hungry. She’s also an influencer. If you’re not familiar with that term, you should catch up. Social media influencers are the most impactful and underpriced advertisers today. Many of the top companies in the world rely on social media influencers to connect with young consumers and promote their brands. Cait will explain how this works and lead a discussion about how you can use influencer brand awareness to draw the next generation of customers to your store. _@shehungry

INDULGE

4:00pm – 8:00pm

Experience Portland through craft on the Brewvana

We will hop on a bus for a progressive tasting experience providing insider access to the best of Portland. Enjoy VIP treatment from some of the most innovative breweries in town and celebrate the history and culture of the craft brewing community. With each stop we will pair a craft beer with fabulous food, and you will leave in an elated state of BREWVANA with a new appreciation for craft, Portland and life. www.brewvana.com

• Stop 1- Appetizer
• Stop 2- Dinner
• Stop 3- Dessert

Event Overview

Back by popular demand, this tournament was last held in 2007. The Home Furnishings Association is proud to revive this wonderful event and to continue to support the Boys & Girls Club of Lakeland & Mulberry!

Get ready for the Shotgun Start to kick off the day! The Golf Tournament and Texas Holdem Tournament are sure to keep the fun rolling. Are you ready?

About the Boys & Girls Club

For more than 75 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of Lakeland & Mulberry has been in the forefront of youth development, working with young people from disadvantaged economic, social, and family circumstances. Boys & Girls Club has actively sought to enrich the lives of girls and boys. Boys & Girls Club is dedicated to ensuring that our community’s disadvantaged youngsters have greater access to quality programs and services that will enhance their lives and shape their futures as productive citizens. Since 1939, we have provided children with a positive place to go, results-oriented programming and a professional staff to guide them

The Home Furnishings Association’s Resource Center is located at #B1050 and is always filled with opportunities to learn how to grow your business. Meet with our solution providers who are experts in their field to help solve your pain points, attend our association events and network with like-minded peers, and enjoy a variety of seminars that cover the most important aspects of being a competitive retailer in today’s market.

The HFA Resource center will be open from July 24-28, 2022 during the following hours: 

HFA Resource Center Exhibitors

FINANCING/PAYMENT PROCESSING
  1 – Progressive Leasing
  6 – Acima Leasing
20 – Snap Finance
28 – American First Finance
35 – Koalafi
41 – Trekstone Financial
42 – Synchrony

POINT-OF-SALE
12 – AltheaSuite
13 – PROFITSystems
14 – Swan FRS
15 – Furniture Wizard
18 – STORIS
26 – Tailbase
38 – Myriad Software

MARKETING/WEBSITES/CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
3 – Mail America
 4 – Esquire Advertising
 9 – Clientbook
10 – Orbit Interactive, Inc.
11 – Advertising Concepts of America (ACA)
17 – Outward, Inc.
22 – Package.ai
24 – Podium

WAREHOUSE/LOGISTICS/SUPPLY CHAIN
34 – DispatchTrack
36 – Speedy Delivery

PRODUCTS & SERVICES/BUSINESS CONSULTING
 8 – GigaCloud Technology
19 – Service Hub CRM
21 – EraNouveau
25 – Mattress Recycling Council
27 – Service Lamp
30 – Profitability Consulting Group
33 – DoorCounts Retail Sales Cloud
40 – PerformNOW

INSURANCE/WARRANTIES/PROTECTION
00 – HFA Healthcare Solutions
29 – Guardsman
32 – Arthur J Gallagher
37 – Montage Furniture Services
39 – Tokio Marine, HHC

(Exhibitors listed in bold are HFA Solution Partners)

MARKET SEMINARS

Our showroom is filled with opportunities to learn how to grow your business. Meet us at the HFA Resource Center and enjoy a variety of seminars that cover the most important aspects of being a competitive retailer in today’s market. You won’t want to miss these!

HFA Resource Center

High Point Spring Furniture Market

Our Resource Center on the first floor of Plaza Suites, space 1-527, has been designed to offer retailers more at High Point Market. Learn how to grow your business, partner with the leading vendors and experts in the industry, and connect with other furniture retailers in a safe, open space.

HOURS OF OPERATION:

Friday, April 1 – 12pm-5pm (soft opening)
Saturday, April 2 – 8am-6pm
Sunday, April 3 – 8am-6pm
Monday, April 4 – 8am-6pm
Tuesday, April 5 – 8am-6pm
Wednesday, April 6 – CLOSED

Exhibitors listed in bold are HFA Solution Partners.

FINANCING & PAYMENT PROCESSING
9 – Progressive Leasing

11 – Acima
16 – Snap Finance
17 – Synchrony

19 – FormPiper
23 – Trekstone Financial
24 – Okinus Credit Solutions

POINT-OF-SALE
1 – Myriad Software
2 – STORIS

6 – Furniture Wizard

22 – Ordorite
25 – AltheaSuite

MARKETING/WEBSITES/CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

4 – Advertising Concepts of America (ACA)
10 – Knorr Marketing
13 – Package.ai

15 – Podium

18 – Mail America

20 – Esquire Advertising

26 – Outward, Inc.

INSURANCE/WARRANTIES/PROTECTION
7 – ProtectAll USA

14 – Guardsman
27 – Montage Furniture Services

WAREHOUSE/LOGISTICS/SUPPLY CHAIN
3 – JB Hunt

5 – Gulfstream Shippers Association

8 – United Steel Storage, Inc.

12 – GigaCloud Technology

21 – Dispatch Track

HFA Resource Center Exhibitor Map

MARKET SEMINARS

Our showroom is filled with opportunities to learn how to grow your business. Meet us at the HFA Resource Center and enjoy a variety of seminars that cover the most important aspects of being a competitive retailer in today’s market. You won’t want to miss these!

What is Retailer of the Year?
Presented by the Home Furnishings Association, Retailer of the Year is an annual recognition award of the home furnishings industry’s highest achievers. Nominated by the industry, and judged by a panel, Retailer of the Year honors winners in five distinct categories.

Nominated by the industry
Here’s your chance to nominate a retailer for our industry’s most prestigious awards, Retailer of the Year, Trailblazer, Emerging Star and Partner of the Year. Whether you’re a manufacturer, industry rep, or employee – we want to hear from you. Retailers are judged by a panel of industry leaders, industry media, retired professionals and past winners.

The Home Furnishings Leadership Institute is a four-day program that prepares retailers for the next level of professional growth. Developed in conjunction with Louisiana State University (LSU) Executive Education, this in-depth, highly personalized program focuses on the core competencies necessary to run a successful retail home furnishings operation, including strategic thinking, planning and execution.

Come spend the day with us at The HFA Inland Empire Golf Classic! Its the same great tournament you’ve loved for more than 20 years, and still held at the Circling Raven Golf Club in Worly, Idaho. This years tournament is packed full of fun, networking and everything in between. For questions, please contact Kathleen Mitchell, Director of Events. Email: kmitchell@myhfa.org Phone: (916) 960-0277