Home Business Information

The 2004 National Hardware Show in Las Vegas offered attendees much more than just the latest products for the home improvement market--it staged the largest educational forum to date in the industry. The Industry Summit on Home Improvement brought together industry leaders, top media outlets and trend experts to explore the changing marketplace, and how retailers and manufacturers can maximize their opportunities in it.

The Industry Summit on Home Improvement featured more than 60 high-profile sessions on timely topics like marketing to women and special populations, lawn and garden retailing, new demographic research and effective media relations from a top-notch industry faculty. The Industry Summit on Home Improvement included:

* The 2nd Annual Marketing to Women Conference--Home Channel News

* The Grass is Greener in Lawn & Garden Retailing--Nursery Retailer Magazine

* Merhcandising as a Marketing Tool--Home Channel News

* Casual Living's 2nd Universe Study--Casual Living Magazine

* International Outlook and Directions--Hardlines

* Lawn & Garden Success Strategies--Lawn & Garden Performance Group

* The Demographics of Home Improvement--Retail Merchandiser

* Applying Real World Demographics for Sales Optimization--RW3 Technology

* Media Relations--"The Money Pit"

* Building Business Opportunities in the Paint Retail Channel--Paint Dealer

* Packaging Design for Super Sales--Liljeqvist & Wargo

* Exporting Facts--U.S. Department of Commerce

* Behavior of Recent Homebuyers and Home Improvement Projects Undertaken--Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI)

"The Summit was a major attraction for both exhibitors and attendees, as there is pent-up demand for such an educational event for the home improvement industry," said Rob Cappiello, industry vice president for the National Hardware Show. "The information presented was tremendous--from the demographic research to the merchandising advice to the lawn and garden business strategies. Everyone who attended walked away with new insight on how to build their business."