This year’s Advanced Retailer’s Day is sure to provide attendees with innovative ideas and valuable information, said officials of the International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo.
The daylong workshop is presented by APSP’s Retailers Council and is titled “So, Who Taught You How to Retail?” The class will be held Nov. 17 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
“We’re going to take on a number of elements — how to drive people to your store, creating a positive buying experience and marketing — that are all really pieces of a much larger machine,” said Chris Miller, who will lead the course. Miller is president of Pacific Store Designs in Garden Grove, Calif., and has designed more than 3,000 retail stores over the past 26 years.
The workshop opens with a discussion on store design theory, including space planning, traffic flow, focal points and dead zones. Miller then will show attendees how to put these ideas into practice using graphics, signage and architectural elements.
Next, the focus shifts to power selling and Miller’s own 10 Commandments of Merchandising.
The afternoon will cover power merchandising plans, interactive management techniques and team-oriented exercises designed to provide networking opportunities.
“I want people to see and learn about what has worked for their colleagues around the country,” Miller said. “It will allow them to go back to their stores with fresh ideas on how to manage their businesses.”
Brenda Murr, chairwoman of the Retailer’s Day Committee and owner of Mermaid Pool, Spa & Patio in Anderson, Ind., said it’s more important than ever for retailers to differentiate themselves from the crowd.
“This year, we determined store design and merchandising were still priorities,” Murr said. “And that’s why we got [Miller] to come in to show people how to do more with less, and to help them make their stores as inviting as possible.”
For more information on Advanced Retailer’s Day, visit www.poolspapatio.com.
