Casual Living Conference to include golf outing sponsored by TUUCI

Casual Living Staff -- Casual Living, 1/23/2012 1:37:00 PM

HIGH POINT, N.C. — The groundbreaking and rapidly approaching Casual Living Conference, to be held Feb. 22-24, 2012, at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Fla., will feature a golf outing sponsored by shade manufacturer TUUCI. The $200/night Ritz-Carlton special rate for the conference expires Wednesday, Jan. 25.

Ritz-Carlton Members Golf ClubBeginning Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 1 p.m., the golf outing will take place at the Ritz-Carlton Members Golf Club. The price is $125 to play 18 holes, with a $60 club rental fee. Shuttles will leave the hotel for the golf course at 10:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Click here to register for the conference and reserve your spot on the course.

The conference's theme - The Sky's the Limit - will examine key opportunities in the outdoor industry, discuss the changing consumer, detail technological trends and zero in on casual's ascendancy in the marketplace.

The event's agenda includes keynote speaker Bob Davies of High Performance Training, Inc. Davies is the author of The Sky is Not the Limit - You Are and is a former college football coach and sought after motivational speaker. Sphere Trending founder and CEO Maxine Lauer will tackle the topics of life stages and the changing consumer. Jim Jansen of Pew Research will be on hand to break down web numbers and Gallery Furniture's own Robert Williams will discuss taking technology to the next level. Financial analyst Jerry Epperson of Mann, Armistead & Epperson will give his take on the casual category and Tiffany Vasilchik of Material ConneXion, will present the latest in materials germane to outdoor.

Retail and supplier panels will examine critical issues facing the outdoor industry today, zero in on category growth and share their success stories. Golf, spa services, a neighboring retail store tour, and an awards dinner honoring Glen Raven Custom Fabrics as Supplier of the Year and Floridas-based Leader's Casual Furniture as Retailer of the Year round out the event.

"If 69% of International Furnishings and Design Association's (IFDA) surveyed members expect outdoor living spaces to expand by 2020, then we as an industry have to be prepared to respond," said Nicole Crews, executive editor of Casual Living. "This conference gives us the forum to come together and address how we go about responding to that growth."

To register for the Casual Living Conference, go to http://www.casualliving.com/con2012 (ICFA member retailers enter "ICFA2012" to apply for a $45 discount). For more information, contact Casual Living Executive Editor Nicole Crews at ncrews@casualliving.com or Publisher Norman Hamilton at nhamilton@casualliving.com.

The event is sponsored by Sunbrella, Agio, Merchandise Mart Properties Inc., Treasure Garden, AmericasMart, TUUCI, Pride Family Brands, the International Casual Furnishings Association, Telescope Casual Furniture, Gensun Casual, International Market Centers, Dallas Market Center, Hanamint, Alu-Mont, Casual Cushion, Windward Design Group, Alfresco Home, Gloster, Lane Venture, Lloyd/Flanders and OW Lee. Sponsorships are still available.