Fall schedule offers seminars for all memberscontinued from page 1 The October-November lineup includes membership-wide seminars on advertising and visual merchandising to help retailers be more successful during the upcoming holiday season—and beyond. In addition, specialized seminars will be held for tire dealers, jewelers and floor coverers. The tire event will bring two national tire industry leaders to Lansing on October 23 to explain the major federal and market changes reshaping the tire business. Steve Disney, president, and Ross Kogel, executive vice president, of the Tire Industry Association (TIA) will focus on the TREAD Act, the growth of specific markets and the reorganization of the industry as a result of recent government regulations. TIA, based in Reston, Virginia, is the tire industry’s largest association and was formed by the July merger of the International Tire and Rubber Association and the Tire Association of North America. In the advertising seminar, direct-mail marketing expert and retailer Larry Bird will join representatives of newspapers, radio and television in a spirited and informative panel discussion of how to get the most for your ad dollar. The ad seminar will be held October 1 in downtown Royal Oak and repeated October 29 in Grand Rapids. Cosponsors of the Royal Oak event are Oakland County Business Center, Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce, Royal Oak DDA–Main Street and Woodward Avenue Action Association. Grand Valley State University will cosponsor and host the Grand Rapids event. Award-winning, international store designer and visual merchandising expert Michael Crosson, of JGA Inc., returns to the MRA Academy to offer practical tips on how stores can use atmosphere, color and lighting to drive sales. His seminar will be held in downtown Traverse City on October 22 and could be repeated downstate at a date and location to be determined. Cosponsor of the Traverse City session is Traverse City DDA. Colored gemstone expert Roger Dery, of Spectral Gems, Inc., Birmingham, will offer jewelers a four-hour, hands-on workshop to enhance their knowledge of colored gems and help them become more comfortable selling and working with them. His Michigan Jewelers Association event will be held October 8 in Lansing. Representatives of leading floor-industry companies will help retailers get ahead by getting back to basics in their constantly changing trade. The November 13 Michigan Floor Covering Association event in Lansing will close out the Academy’s fall season. For the most up-to-date schedule, members can check MRA’s calendar. |