More than 1,700 venders, staff and members of CCA Global kicked off their first convention since the pandemic hit in Denver. The event marks Carpet One Floor & Home, Flooring America, Flooring Canada, The Floor Trader, and International Design Guild (IDG) members coming together for the first time, and also unveiled new digital technology, marketing and merchandising to help all members position themselves to exceed the future demands of their consumers.
“Ahead Of The Future” runs through July 21 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort near Denver.
As part the agenda, designed to give attendees ample opportunities to reconnect and network, members participated in workshops yesterday that included education sessions on DRIVE, hiring tactics, relationship building, employee retention tips, sales training and best practices as well as networking events for the women of CCA, members under 40 and the commercial group.
“There is such a buzz of excitement in the air here. Our members are so thrilled to reunite and be together again after so long,” said John Gilbert, President of Carpet One Floor & Home. “And having our family of businesses together has been wonderful. Watching them network, learn and grow together has been inspiring.”
Some of the featured insights and hot topics include:
Introduction of Eight New Wood Designs- The H20 Collection. Members got a first look of the H20 collection, developed by Karndean Design specifically with the needs of CCA dealers in mind and exclusive to CCA members. Two of the latest designs are available in a new 24” x 6” herringbone format.
Employee Attraction and Retention. Finding and keeping good employees remains an important issue to owners across divisions, so several workshops focused on what business owners can do to improve both their hiring and retaining practices. One study shows that 84 percent of the world’s top 100 most attractive employers offer an employer value proposition outlining current and future employees with a clear understanding of what your company stands for and the mission.
Next40 Holds First Combined Meeting. The rapidly growing segment of CCA Global division business owners under 40 met together for the first time. Next generation owners from Carpet One Floor & Home, Flooring America, Flooring Canada, The Floor Trader and International Design Guild (IDG) gathered to discuss prominent issues like exit planning to ensure smooth transitions from one generation to the next.
Gearing Up for Mike Rowe. Mike Rowe is known as the “dirtiest man on TV,” a title he earned on the hit TV series Dirty Jobs. Today, viewers can join Mike for a romp through history on the discovery+ series Six Degrees as he uncovers the surprising connections between two disparate things and shows how everything in the world is connected. As the country’s leading advocate for skilled labor and the CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity that debunks myths and misperceptions about the trades and helps close the skills gap, his foundation has granted millions of dollars in work ethic scholarships.
Future Think Sessions. After the last year, business trends forecasting is even more vital to business owners than ever, especially in the home improvement sector. Claire Murray from the team at Stylus is offering attendees trends intelligence on subjects as diverse as consumer engagement futures, digital marketing, and brand cultural relevance. The three popular sessions include Anticipating Customer Expectations: Meeting the Customer When She Wants, How She Wants, and Where She Wants; Embracing Technology Today To Build A Better Future featuring guest speaker Scott Lambridis from Blink, and The Evolving Store Experience: Merchandising for the Future.
Interactive Immersion. Another new feature this year is for guests to immerse themselves in learning Retail 2.0 right on the exhibition hall floor. While they shop, their interactions will be observed by the team from Blink, the top “user experience firm” for leading companies.
They’ll use member feedback to help them create their own exclusive tools to use in their own businesses.
Aggressive Financing Offers. The retail groups announced the most aggressive financing offer ever, buying down financing to 0% on 12-36 mo. terms for August – September.
“It’s been so great seeing our members again," said Keith Spano, President of Flooring America/Flooring Canada, The Floor Trader and IDG. "We’ve weathered an unexpected and challenging storm together, and now we can regroup, recharge and renew by sharing best practices, embracing new technology and meeting the needs of the new consumer. all while keeping our foot on the gas."
For more information, please visit https://www.ccaglobalpartners.com/about-us.
