Key brands from CCA Global Partners, the nation’s largest floor covering cooperative, including Flooring America, Flooring Canada, International Design Guild (IDG) and The Floor Trader, gather in Phoenix at conneXtion, a branded annual meeting that connects more than 600 independent floor covering retailers. The two-day conference, held at the Phoenix Convention Center January 23-24, brings together the best flooring retailers in North America and features a robust line-up of presenters to provide actionable insights that retailers can implement into their businesses and drive growth in 2017.

“A new year brings new opportunities for our membership to leverage the power of the cooperative,” said Keith Spano, President of Flooring America, Flooring Canada, IDG and The Floor Trader. “ConneXtion provides a great platform for them to network and collaborate with each other. After all, our greatest resource remains the expertise of our membership comprised of successful entrepreneurs and business owners who understand how to have the greatest impact in the retail flooring space.”

To further strengthen the relationship between members and suppliers, members will participate in two interactive programs at the show. CollaborDate (like speed dating), where members will have between 5-8 minutes to interact with suppliers on-stage during conneXtion; and Collaboration Nation, a collaborative exercise where members get a passport and participate in challenges throughout the meeting for a chance to win an Amazon Echo.

Management continues to invest in programs that communicate the Flooring America/Flooring Canada message on a local, one-to-one level.

“Technology and consumers evolve and we must evolve as retailers to stay ahead of the pack,” said Frank Chiera, senior vp marketing & advertising for Flooring America, Flooring Canada, IDG and The Floor Trader. "Since we started five years ago, there have been competitors who have tried to emulate what we do, which is the biggest form of flattery. However, we know that our offerings are superior and we remain steadfast in our commitment to execute smart digital marketing programs that will work hard for our membership.”

Unveiled at conneXtion will be the new marketing campaign featuring HGTV’s Design Star winner and company spokesperson, Jennifer Bertrand, that includes broadcast, digital and print media. Members will also have the chance to visit the Social Media hub where the marketing team will obtain hyper-local content that can be syndicated through the highly successful F.A.S.T (Flooring America Social Tools) program. What’s more, members can look forward to receiving My Digital, a 32-page, comprehensive guide that outlines all online marketing initiatives facilitated by the Flooring America/Flooring Canada marketing team.

New programs will be introduced for the membership to expand their businesses, including a new Tribute by KILZ paint program with innovative crack and peel wall samples that’s exclusive to Flooring America, IDG and Floor Trader retailers.

Several initiatives are also in store for International Design Guild members as the company announces the expansion of the wildly successful Design for a Difference movement, with a commitment to 10 corporate transformations in 2017 and a greater investment in assets to support the program.

“Design for a Difference truly changes people’s lives," Chiera said. "We understand the tremendous momentum this program has gained with our members and the huge impact it has had in their communities. This year, we hope to transform more lives through the power of design.”

In addition, IDG members get a first look at the newly rebranded Louis Dabbieri collection as an independent brand with its own website and customer experience, as well as the newly designed IDG members’ websites. The new responsive websites provide consumers with a seamless experience across multiple devices including desktop, mobile and tablets.

Working diligently over the last year, the marketing team completed the rebranding of The Floor Trader Group with its Theory of Outletivity, new showroom design and its recently launched social media program. Launching in 2017 will be The Floor Trader channel—FTX, a channel dedicated to showing DIY design videos for consumers that can be watched on YouTube, the websites and in stores.

“ConneXtion is always an exciting and productive time to engage with our diverse membership to implement and execute new programs that keep our members ahead of the retail pack," Spano added.