As technology, culture and business change at ever-accelerating rates of speed, Do it Best Corp. provides member-owners timely education programs to ensure they have what it takes to stay ahead. With the central theme focused on “The Future of…”, the 2008 Do it Best Winter Conference & Expo, held January 16-18 in Orlando, gave attendees the chance to learn from some of today’s high profile futurists and trends experts in technology, the retail industry and consumer behavior. The event also brought members together with Do it Best Corp. staff and vendors to learn about new products and merchandising options and to enjoy networking and socializing opportunities.

According to Bill Zielke, Do it Best Corp. vice president of marketing and international development, the event is just what their promotional materials say: “It’s more than a Market”. “We host two markets in Indianapolis each year where our members see new merchandise and take advantage of tremendous savings on products, as well as participate in education and networking events. The Winter Conference & Expo is a little different. While we still have a market floor, this is a time for more focused education as well as more relationship-building. We look at the three events as working together to offer our members access to all of the tools they need to sustain and grow their business.”

This year’s education sessions were lead by some of the day’s brightest thinkers in trends and the future:

• In The Extreme Future: Top Trends that Will Shape the 21st Century, nationally-recognized speaker, author and futurist James Canton highlighted top trends that will shape the future of business and society including climate, energy, the workforce, security and technology – from the internet to nanotech to wireless and robotics.
• Jim Carroll, author and futurist, presented Creating The Future: Leadership in an Era of Innovation and Change, which provided insight into how to create high performing and change-oriented teams that can face the new realities of the future head on.
• Retail CSI: Consumer and Shopper Insights, presented by James Russo, vice president of TNS Retail Forward, a world leader in market information and retail strategies. Russo discussed the trends in shopper-specific products and services, and how customers today will look and act different than customers tomorrow.
• President and CEO of Watt International Inc., a global brand strategy and design consultancy, Patrick Rodmell presented Innovations in Our Everyday Lives: When to Sort Through Them, When to Ignore Them, which offered eye-opening strategies and some of the most provocative, leading-edge developments in the retail sector.
• Retailing 2015: The Evolving Retail Landscape, presented by Dan Stanek of Retail Forward., addressed the 15 trends that will redefine the retail business environment including the "unchaining" of retailing, the downsizing of almost everything and breaking the 80/20 rule of SKU sales.
• In So What Does All of this Mean to You & Your Store? A Panel Discussion, panelists discussed and fielded questions from members on how to leverage the information learned at the Expo and how to make it work effectively with their store. Do it Best Corp. CEO and president Bob Taylor joined the panel discussion with Retail Forward’s Dan Stanek and Patrick Rodmell from Watt International.

Kelly Rodarmel from Woodland Do it Best® Hardware in Woodland Park, CO, said he learned a lot from the seminars that will help his business. "I found a lot of things I was unaware of. It was interesting to hear a whole different perspective on technology and how it's used. It was very exciting. We can take a lot of these ideas and integrate them into out operation."

Jeff Tucker from Farmer's Building Supply in Grants Pass, OR, agreed that the trip to the  Winter Conference & Expo was worth it. "We need to change with the times. We came to the Winter Conference & Expo to learn about how to make our future at our store better than it is today."

In addition to education opportunities, the event featured a unique expo floor arrangement, with tabletop displays from nearly 300 hardware and lumber/building materials vendors. This more relaxed setting promoted one-on-one discussions between members and vendors and helped foster relationship building, one of the event’s main objectives. In addition, members and vendors also celebrated “Christmas in January” with more than a dozen exhibits showcasing new and top-selling holiday products, giving attendees a first look at new features for the 2008 holiday season.

When not meeting with vendors or attending education sessions, members enjoyed some entertainment options, including the Annual Golf Outing at the luxurious 230-acre Shingle Creek Golf Club on Wednesday, January 16. The golf outing was followed by the Opening Night Reception, giving attendees the opportunity to network with other members, vendors and Do it Best Corp. staff.

On Thursday evening, members were treated to a private dinner at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant, followed by an exclusive performance by the country’s hottest act, the Blue Man Group. The week’s events wrapped up with a closing reception at the hotel.

About Do it Best Corp.

Based in Fort Wayne, Ind., Do it Best Corp. is the only U.S.-based, member-owned hardware, lumber and building materials buying cooperative in the home improvement industry.  With annual sales of $2.81 billion, Do it Best Corp. is the second largest co-op in the industry, serving 4,100 member-owned locations throughout the United States and in 47 countries.