OFA to Host New Vision Summit for IGCs
According to retail experts John Stanley and Sid Raisch, i
ndependent garden centers must change and they need to do so quickly.
Stanley and Raisch believe this because the average sale per customer of a typical American garden center is lower than many countries with developed garden center industries. Furthermore, with the economy emerging from a recession, now is the time to ensure the future success of retailers.
“This is a challenge and an opportunity. We can do better as an industry and we can start with an in-depth exploration of our business model,” said Raisch.
Raisch and Stanley are providing a unique opportunity for U.S. garden center retailers to further develop their business and set a new direction for the industry. These two leading industry consultants will take part in a two-day New Vision Summit to share global ideas and national developments to help independent retailers determine their response to the future. The event will be hosted by OFA – The Association of Horticulture Professionals.
The New Vision Summit is planned for Jan. 30 and 31, 2013 – a day before the OFA/ANLA Next Level Conference in Nashville, Tenn. The focused business retreat is limited to 35 leading thinkers and non-competing garden centers from Canada and the United States.
“This is not a series of lectures by two consultants. Instead, the aim is for each of the presenters to bring forward their ideas and then allow the group to debate those ideas to come up with new strategies for their business and the industry,” Stanley said.
“Imagine being in an elite group of independent retailers taking the industry into the future,” said Raisch. This is an exciting opportunity when you imagine some of the top thinkers in the industry will be together for the purpose to develop new strategies. OFA and the presenters are hoping this will become a yearly event for the same group of delegates.
For additional information, please visit the event web site at www.YourNextLevel.org/NVF.
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