Show Floor Hours
Wednesday, March 3: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Thursday, March 4: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Friday, March 5: 10:00am - 5:00pm
Saturday, March 6: 9:00am - 12:00pm
Networking Events and Educational Programs
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Pre-Conference Seminiar: Mattress Safety — What You Need to Know
(located in Room 213)
Speaker(s):
Representative from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (invited)
Joanne Mattiace, Principal, Law Offices of Joanne E. Mattiace
New safety requirements have been enacted and more are proposed in the wake of the Consumer Products Safety Improvements Act (CPSIA). Make sure you are up to speed on the current status of these developments including: flammability, lead and phthalate content limits and testing and certification requirements.
Separate tickets required for educational sessions – See registration form for details.
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Roundtable: Industry Forecast -- What Will the Future Look Like?
(located in the ISPA Welcome Center)
Speaker(s):
Jerry Epperson, Managing Director, Mann, Armistead and Epperson, Ltd.
Given today's challenging marketplace, anticipating the future is difficult but more critical than ever. Be one of the first to hear an overview of the 2010 mattress industry forecast figures. Listen to experts review the highlights and what it may mean for your business. Understand how the forecast is prepared and how to use this valuable information to help you make more informed decisions.
Separate tickets required for educational sessions – See registration form for details. This session free for ISPA members.
5:00pm - 6:30pm
Welcome Reception: "The Carolinas...From the Mountains to the Coast"
(located in the Grand Ballroom)
Help kick off the EXPO during this gala event that is always the talk of the show! Food, drinks, fun, and music, (courtesy of the insomniaczzz, back by popular demand!), will help you enjoy a sampling of all the Carolinas have to offer. After the reception, enjoy your evening at one of the many fine restaurants in and around the Charlotte Convention Center. Your badge is your entrance ticket.
Sponsored by:
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
7:45am - 9:00am
Teaming with Retailers to Improve the Customer Experience
(located in Room 213)
Speaker(s):
Mike Wittenstein, Chief Experience Architect MikeWittenstein.com
Paying attention to the front line can improve your bottom line. As manufacturers, you can impact consumer perception of your brand by teaming with your retailers on the customer experience. In this session, Mike Wittenstein, an authority on customer experience with a successful track record at such brands as McDonald’s, Wingate Inns, IBM and Air Canada, as well as with aspiring brands, will show you the practical nuts and bolts of pulling together a customer experience design plan that improves your profitability and the profitability of your retailers.
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Roundtable: Mattress Recycling & Disposal - Opportunities and Challenges
(located in the ISPA Welcome Center)
Speaker(s):
Jonathan Harrison, Director, Rubicon National Social Innovations
Joe Paviglianti, SOLinc
Recycling is becoming an increasingly important issue for the industry as more communities refuse to accept used mattresses in landfills and some states consider whether to make mattress manufacturers responsible for taking back and recycling their used products. Hear about recent ISPA efforts to expand recycling and disposal initiatives, the potential opportunities and pitfalls, and how other industries are meeting similar challenges.
Separate tickets required for educational sessions – See registration form for details. This session free for ISPA members.
Friday, March 5th, 2010
7:45am - 10:00am
ISPA Industry Breakfast
(located in the Grand Ballroom)
Attend the Industry Breakfast (included with your ISPA EXPO registration) and enjoy award winning entertainer, Craig Karges, a nationally recognized speaker and author. Known as the "extraordinist", he has made more than four thousand appearances on four continents and in all fifty states.
Featuring Craig Karges, Illusionist
Attend the Industry Breakfast and enjoy award winning entertainer, Craig Karges, a nationally recognized speaker and author. Known as the "extraordinist", he has made more than four thousand appearances on four continents and in all fifty states. He has appeared on the Tonight Show, Larry King Live, and specials for Cox Broadcasting. He has also appeared on Lifetime Television, CNBC, CNN Headline News, the Fox News Channel, and E! Entertainment Television. Karges' performance is an extraordinary blend of mystery, humor, psychology and intuition. He dazzles the mind as he challenges his audiences to question what is real and what is unreal, what is possible and what is impossible.
In addition to this entertaining presentation, ISPA takes this opportunity to recognize its leaders and acknowledge those who have given outstanding service to the association through its awards program. The Industry Breakfast is also a valuable opportunity for industry colleagues to network and exchange information...don't miss it!
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Roundtable: ‘Green’ — What Does It Really Mean?
(located in the ISPA Welcome Center)
Speaker(s):
Wes Evans, Director of Training Service, The Green Standard
Today’s increasingly sophisticated consumer is more discriminating, demanding assurances as to just how 'green' a product truly is. Wes Evans is an Executive-on-Loan to The Green Standard, whose mission is "to advance global sustainability through the ways products are developed, selected and disposed of the end of their useful life." Drawing on his extensive experience in addressing environmental issues in the furniture industry, Evans will discuss green "best practices", and the role that standards, certifications, eco-labels and environmental product declarations can play in helping manufacturers design and market greener products. Since retiring after 23 years with business furniture manufacturer Herman Miller, he has been active in a number of sustainability-related businesses. After he finishes his work with The Green Standard, Evans will return to his current job as Vice President of Matrix Technology Alliance, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing sustainable economic development.
Separate tickets required for educational sessions – See registration form for details. This session free for ISPA members.
No video or audiotaping of educational sessions permitted.