Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
Once again the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) will be hosting its All-Industry Conference concurrently with the National Hardware Show®, held May 7-9 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas. The NRHA All-Industry Conference brings together independent retailers from across North America to take part in educational seminars, attend award ceremonies and network with one another.
The theme of this year’s All-Industry Conference is “The Changing Consumer,” and educational presentations throughout the event will focus on this topic.
All educational events are free to attend and are open to all show attendees. The events will take place both on the NRHA Village Stage located in the Central Lobby or in designated meeting rooms.
High-profile speakers that are appearing as part of the All-Industry Conference include representatives from Google and industry researcher Brian Kilcourse.
Breakout Sessions
NRHA will also host a series of breakout sessions, located in Las Vegas Convention Center room N224 on May 7, where attendees can discuss these ideas in a more intimate setting.
Breakout sessions being held today include:
- Timothy Dahl, founder of Charles & Hudson and Built by Kids, and co-founder of Food and Home and former online producer of This Old House, ELLE DECOR, Metropolitan Home and Woman’s Day, will talk about online consumers, and
- Patrick Curry, president of Foot- Steps Marketing, will moderate a panel of experts on social media best practices.
Attendees will have the chance to ask presenters questions and learn more about up-and-coming changes in the home improvement industry.
“NRHA continues to support the improvement industry through collaboration with the National Hardware Show, and to utilize attendees’ time effectively, we hold our All-Industry Conference here. The entire Conference program will offer all attendees—specifically the independent retailers we support—even more helpful information, all under one roof,” says Bill Lee, NRHA’s CEO and president.
Honoring Industry Excellence
In addition to the can’t-miss educational opportunities available, events at the conference will honor home improvement retailers for their exceptional success and vision.
NRHA will host its popular Young Retailer of the Year Awards program May 6. The program recognizes outstanding performance and encourages talented retailers under the age of 35 to pursue a retail hardware career.
Throughout the conference, NRHA will also showcase some of the winners from its Packaging and Merchandising Awards program, which recognizes the best in home improvement packaging and merchandising.
Winning entries will be on display in the NRHA Village until May 9; a special program to honor these winners will be held 2-2:45 p.m. May 7.
On May 8, NRHA will once again cast the spotlight on the industry’s manufacturers with the presentation of its Retailers’ Choice Awards.
For the past four decades NRHA has been presenting this award to manufacturers at the National Hardware Show.
A panel of retailers, who walk the show and select products they feel are unique and offer sales potential in their stores, selects award winners.
“The fact that retailers select the winners shows just how much they value the manufacturers of these innovative items new to the market,” says Dan Tratensek, NRHA’s vice president of publishing and publisher of Hardware Retailing magazine.
Also May 8, NRHA and Hardware Retailing magazine will present their Industry Top Gun Awards, which are presented to independent retailers who rise above the standard in terms of innovation and commitment to the industry. This year’s Top Gun winners will take part in a live question and answer session Wednesday on the NRHA Village Stage.
This year’s honorees include Tim Buchheit, representing Buchheit Stores, with seven retail locations throughout Missouri and Illinois; Bruce Ellis, representing Builders Do it Centers, with two locations in southeastern New Mexico; George Preckwinkle, representing Bishop Ace Hardware, with 11 locations in Illinois; and Dennis Stine, representing Stine Home + Yard, with 12 locations throughout Louisiana and Mississippi.
