ISPA panel to examine gender views of mattress industry

Set for March 15 in Indianapolis, Ind. 

Casual Living Staff -- Casual Living, 2/15/2012 1:15:31 PM

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Mattress marketers will pit women against men next month at the International Sleep Products Association Expo during a panel session hosted by WithIt.
The North American women's leadership development network in the home furnishings industries will explore the topic: How well is the bedding industry connecting with women consumers?
Offering women's perspectives will be Kim Knopf, CEO of  Innovative Mattress Solutions, Winfield, W.Va., and Cindy Williams, VP of client services at Info Retail and secretary of WithIt.
Men's perspectives will be provided by Mark Quinn, segment VP of marketing at Leggett & Platt, and Don Wright, chief marketing officer at Wright Global Graphics.
Moderating the panel will be WithIt president Julia Rosien, chief idea officer at SocialNorth.com.
"We've all heard the stats that women make the majority of buying decisions for the home," Rosien said. "But have we really listened to what ‘she' wants? She says one thing but he often says something completely different. Our panel will investigate if the bedding industry is satisfying both sides of the bed."
The session is set for 4 p.m. on March 15 during the ISPA Expo at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. WithIt says the session will provide "an hour of action-packed examination of the passion and smarts that go hand-in-hand with marketing to women."
The event is sponsored by Wright Global Graphics, WithIt and the ISPA Women's Network.
Information on the Expo is available at www.ispaexpo.com.