Shaw Industries has announced its schedule of winter shows that will begin with a three-day meeting in Chicago, Jan. 5. The company say the 27-city tour will Shaw representatives with an opportunity to give customers a level of individual attention they seldom find at large trade shows. "Regional events have given us and our customers what we both want and expected - quality time," says Scott Sandlin, Shaw's vice president of marketing. "In these smaller formats, our sales and management teams are able to work with our customers individually."

The region meetings in January and February will be preceded by Shaw's Winter Tour, a series of meetings for the company's residential sales force, that are slated for November and December 2005. They will be held throughout the country in regional locations appropriate for each of the company's eight sales divisions, including Tuftex.

The theme for both the Winter Tour and the winter markets for Shaw customers is headlined "I want a floor that...," a slogan that echoes the copy of the company's national advertising campaign designed to inspire consumers with images of nostalgic settings (i.e., "I want a floor that reminds me of that rustic bed and breakfast..."). For these internal meetings, the headline relates to specific business advantages, such as "I want a floor that builds my business" or "inspires and performs for my customers."

The complete schedule of Shaw 2006 Winter Markets is as follows: Jan. 5-8, Chicago; Jan. 6-7, Kansas City, Mo.; Jan. 8-10, St. Louis; Jan. 9-10, Madison, Wis.; Jan 9-11, Huntington Beach, Calif.; Jan. 11-12, Green Bay, Wis., and Atlantic City, N.J.; Jan. 12-13, Tampa, Fla., and Davenport, Iowa; Jan. 12-14, Dallas; Jan. 15-18, Tempe, Ariz.; Jan. 17-18, Greenbelt, Md.; Jan. 17-20, Belterra, Ind., and Pittsburgh; Jan. 18-19, Ledyard, Conn.; Jan. 19-20, Atlanta and Seattle; Jan. 23-26, Beechwood, Ohio; Jan. 25-26, Salt Lake City, Denver, Toronto and Long Island; Jan. 25-26, Nashville and Mobile/Biloxi; Jan. 26-27, Charlotte, N.C.; Feb. 7-9, Verona, N.Y.; and Feb. 20-22, Minneapolis.