School Bell Rings in Atlanta's New Year

January 10–18; Temporaries, January 13–17

ATLANTA INTL. RUG MARKET

January 19–22

AmericasMart Atlanta

240 Peachtree Street

Atlanta 30303

(800) ATL-MART

www.americasmart.com

Show Producer: AMC

Show Hours: January 10–13 and 16–18, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; January 14–15, 9 a.m.–8 p.m. (select showrooms open at 8 a.m.) Temporaries, January 13–16, 9 a.m.–6 p.m., January 17, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Rug Market, 9.a.m.–5 p.m.

Travel Arrangements: Ambassadors Services Group, (800) 241-6405 or (404) 584-7458. Delta Air Lines, (800) 241-6760, or (404) 765-5000, refer to file number DMN206394A (domestic travel) or DMN206395A (international travel).

AmericasMart University (AMU) is a structured educational program designed to teach retailers business fundamentals that arm them with the tools and techniques necessary to stay competitive and grow their businesses. The program will be taught by leading business consultants in the retail industry.

The program is comprised of three “Topics of Learning”: Retail Business Basics, Buying & Selling, and Building Your Brand. Each will offer classes of one to two hours each at the Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced levels. (For January 2006, only Beginner and Intermediate level classes are available.) There are also numerous electives from which to choose.

All classes are free, but registration is required. Participants earn credit toward the AmericasMart MBA. An MBA is awarded to participants who complete each level of the program — in each of the three Topics of Learning. In addition to receiving an AMU MBA certificate/diploma, graduates will be awarded incentives including a special badge, and special airfare and hotel accommodations.

Retail Basics

• Business Survival — Part 1 (Beginner). Presenters: Jim Jordan and Jon McClory, Franklin Consulting & Training. Friday, January 13, 8:30–9:30 a.m. Imparts proven business tips that make businesses more profitable. Learn about successful selling, commercial accounts, psychological pricing, and other business-critical success ideas.
• Business Survival — Part 2 (Intermediate). Presenters: Jim Jordan and Jon McClory. Friday, January 13, 10–11 a.m. Continuation of Business Survival, Part 1. Uncovers additional ways to improve profitability by reducing operating expenses, creating a productive employee unit, and formulating a successful sales strategy.

Buying & Selling

• What Customers REALLY Want (Beginner). Presenters: Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender, Kizer & Bender Associates. Saturday, January 14, 8:30–9:30 a.m. Covers what today's demanding customers expect from retailers, ways to see through customers' eyes, relationship-building techniques, and other strategies to set retailers apart from the competition.
• The Secret Success of Catalogs (Beginner). Presenter: David Weiss, president, The Coastal Group. Sunday, January 15, 10–11 a.m. How to effectively utilize catalogs as a sales vehicle to reach more customers and garner more sales. Learn the best options for building a product catalog, including a review of design, photography, and printing elements of successful catalogs.
• How to Develop a Sales Strategy (Intermediate). Presenters: Jim Jordan and Jon McClory. Friday, January 13, 2–3 p.m. Learn to create an effective sales strategy through suggestive selling, the Internet, commercial account development, marketing, customer service, and pricing. Interactive format.

Building Your Brand

• Visual Presentation Essentials (Beginner). Presenter: Barbara Crowhurst, Retail Business Coach. Saturday, January 14, 11 a.m.–noon. Learn the main elements of display design: choosing appropriate merchandise; how to showcase all retail areas; the latest props and how to use them; placing point-of-sale materials; and effective lighting.
• Botoxing Your Store (Intermediate). Presenter: Barbara Crowhurst. Saturday, January 14, 2–3 p.m. Advanced steps in designing displays for greatest sales impact. Learn guidelines for creating strong displays — groupings, focal points, visual rhythm, repetition.

Electives

Programs are held in AM1 suite 19-A-23, unless noted otherwise.

Holiday, Floral & Home Decor

• Christmas: Color Trends for the Season. Presenter: Terry Fry, Jim Marvin Ents. January 13, 11 a.m.
• The Artistry of Holiday Merchandising. Presenters: Ingrid Liss, Margo Tantau, and Chris Tkachuck of Midwest. January 14, 4–5 p.m. The Art of Christmas party in the Holiday, Floral & Home Decor Center follows.
• Design Trends for Home Decor, Permanent Botanicals, and Christmas Décor. Presenter: Robert Hampton, Regency Intl. January 15, 8:30–9:30 a.m.

The Gardens at AmericasMart

• Renovating Your Outdoor Space. Presenter: Mary Liz Curtain, Mary Liz Curtain & Co. January 13, 4–5 p.m. A tour and party follows in the Home Accents Center Center & The Gardens.

Home Accents Center

• The Flexible Home. Presenter: Maxine Lauer of Sphere Marketing. Sunday, January 15, 11 a.m.–noon.

Fashion Accessories & Fine Jewelry

• The Critical Accessory to Your Gift Business — Fashion Accessories. Presenter: Joyce Washnik. January 13, 11–noon. AM3 Fashion Accessories floor 8.

The Gourmet Gallery

AM3, The Gourmet Gallery, floor 14

• Gift Basket Demonstration. Karen Sullen, The Basket Gallery. January 13, 1–2 p.m.
• Gift Basket Demonstration. Grace Johnson, Your Gifted Basket. January 14, 1–2 p.m.
• Gift Basket Demonstration. Jimi Taylor, Taylor Made Gift Baskets. January 15, 1–2 p.m.
• Gift Basket Demonstration. Information unavailable at press time. January 16, 1–2 p.m.

LOOK FOR: More details on course registration, schedules, and locations will be available at AmericasMart.com and in the January 2006 Atlanta Buyer's Guide.