Plaza Suites - 1-527, Floor 1 Shuttle Stop: 14 (Red/Green Line) Neighborhood: Downtown Main Corporate Phone: 800-422-3778 Area of Interest: HFA Retailer Resource Center
Home Furnishings Association-HFA
Add to MyMarketAbout the Home Furnishings Association (HFA) Resource Center: The HFA Resource Center offers retailers a space to learn about the latest trends and strategies to help grow their businesses. Partner with the leading vendors and experts in the industry and connect with other furniture retailers in a community-driven showroom experience. Enjoy breakfast, lunch, and specialty coffees all day as you relax between appointments. Learn more at www.myhfa.org/event/high-point-market About the Home Furnishings Association: The Home Furnishings Association (HFA), with roots dating back to 1920, is North America’s largest organization devoted specifically to the needs and interests of home furnishings retailers, with more than 1,400 members representing more than 10,000 storefronts globally. HFA provides members with programs, resources, services, and a unified voice in government relations by collaborating with home furnishings industry suppliers, vendors, affiliates, and other organizations. For more information on the HFA, visit www.myhfa.org.
Our brands/collections consist of:
- ACA/Advertising Concepts of America
- ACIMA
- American Homestead Furniture
- DispatchTrack
- E-Retail
- Esquire Advertising
- Fortiva Retail Credit
- Furnish Near Me/FurnitureDealer.net
- Furniture Wizard
- Guardsman
- Gulfstream Shippers Association
- HFA Health Care
- HFA Sales Academy
- International Home Furnishings Representatives Association
- J. B. Hunt Final Mile
- Myriad Software
- Renaissance
- Snap Finance
- Synchrony
- Trekstone Financial
- United Steel Storage
Lunch and Learn: Unlocking the Value of HFA Membership
Educational Home Furnishings Association-HFA, Plaza Suites, Floor 1 Neighborhood: Downtown Main Shuttle Stop: 14 (Green Line)
Whether you're a current member or exploring membership, this session highlights practical tools, trusted partners, and valuable resources that support growth and simplify everyday challenges. New to the Home Furnishings Association? Learn why membership matters. Already involved? Discover untapped benefits and fresh ways to make your membership deliver even more. Let us treat you to lunch and come see how HFA can help your business do more.
Is an Employee Stock Ownership Plan Right for You?
Educational Home Furnishings Association-HFA, Plaza Suites, Floor 1 Neighborhood: Downtown Main Shuttle Stop: 14 (Green Line)
Learn what an ESOP is, how it works as a business transition strategy, and what furniture retailers should consider when exploring a sale. This session will also share New Leaf’s firsthand experience establishing an ESOP, including key steps, lessons learned, and practical insights for owners evaluating their options.
Speakers: Sean Hicks
Fundamentals That Still Move the Needle
Educational Home Furnishings Association-HFA, Plaza Suites, Floor 1 Neighborhood: Downtown Main Shuttle Stop: 14 (Green Line)
It's easy to overlook the fundamentals that still drive results. This session explores how to blend proven, time-tested Retail Operations, Store Execution, Sales and Visual Merchandising with today's most effective Marketing Strategies, creating a balanced approach that will ensure growth and future sustainability in today's ever-growing competitive retail marketplace.
Speakers: Chris Hunt
Navigating the New Final Mile
Educational Home Furnishings Association-HFA, Plaza Suites, Floor 1 Neighborhood: Downtown Main Shuttle Stop: 14 (Green Line)
Final mile delivery is now a defining part of the customer experience for home furnishings retailers. As service expectations increase, safety standards evolve, and the industry continues to change, retailers must adapt to stay competitive. This session will explore how stronger final mile strategies can improve customer satisfaction, reduce risk, and create greater value through safer, more efficient, and more responsive delivery operations.
Speakers: Richard Tucker, Daylyn Bellamy
AI That Sells: Practical Uses of AI for Retailers
Educational Home Furnishings Association-HFA, Plaza Suites, Floor 1 Neighborhood: Downtown Main Shuttle Stop: 14 (Green Line)
Learn how to use AI in simple, profitable ways without losing the human touch that closes sales. We'll cover real applications, from product descriptions and email campaigns to sales training and personalized customer follow-up, that save time and improve performance. You’lll leave with a clear understanding of where AI fits in retail operations, where it does not, how to start small and get measurable results.
Speakers: Richard Harris
T.R.A.C.T.I.O.N- Methods for Business Mastery
Educational Home Furnishings Association-HFA, Plaza Suites, Floor 1 Neighborhood: Downtown Main Shuttle Stop: 14 (Green Line)
Success in furniture retail depends on strong execution, attention to detail, and a culture that keeps both customers and employees engaged. This session explores practical strategies for leading a thriving retail business, staying relevant in a changing marketplace, and building a company that delivers value in the showroom and in the community.
Speakers: Lorri Kelley
Closing the Visual Merchandising Gap
Educational Home Furnishings Association-HFA, Plaza Suites, Floor 1 Neighborhood: Downtown Main Shuttle Stop: 14 (Green Line)
Furniture retailers showcase endless custom options in-store, but too few make it online in a meaningful way that helps customers shop and buy. In this session, visual technology pioneer Clarence Chui shares a practical framework for closing that gap. Learn how to evaluate visualization options, protect product accuracy, prioritize the biggest opportunities, and create a realistic 90-day plan to strengthen both ecommerce and showroom selling.
Speakers: Clarence Chui
The Next-Gen Customer: Serving Four Generations at Once
Educational Home Furnishings Association-HFA, Plaza Suites, Floor 1 Neighborhood: Downtown Main Shuttle Stop: 14 (Green Line)
Retailers today must meet the needs of four generations at once, each with distinct expectations for value, convenience, and experience. This session will explore how retailers can balance assortment, store experience, and personalization without adding unnecessary complexity, helping businesses serve diverse customers more effectively and profitably.
Speakers: Sophie Marai
AI-Ready or Left Behind: What You Need to Know Before 2027
Educational Home Furnishings Association-HFA, Plaza Suites, Floor 1 Neighborhood: Downtown Main Shuttle Stop: 14 (Green Line)
AI is already reshaping how consumers discover and buy furniture, from generative search results replacing traditional Google rankings to AI-powered product recommendations that bypass your website entirely. Most retailers know they need to act, but few know where to start. Attendees will learn how to audit their digital presence for AI visibility, the specific threats generative search poses to organic traffic, and the concrete first steps any retailer can take today, regardless of budget or technical expertise.
Speakers: Jake Freedman
Creating Social Media that Sells
Educational Home Furnishings Association-HFA, Plaza Suites, Floor 1 Neighborhood: Downtown Main Shuttle Stop: 14 (Green Line)
Today’s furniture shoppers look to social media for inspiration, ideas, and brand connection long before they visit a store. This interactive session will give you hands-on experience on how to create content that captures attention, builds trust, and encourages engagement. Attendees will learn practical strategies for developing social media that connects with consumers and be ready to go live immediately!
Speakers: Darrell Dahlberg
The ROI of the High-Performance Warehouse
Educational Home Furnishings Association-HFA, Plaza Suites, Floor 1 Neighborhood: Downtown Main Shuttle Stop: 14 (Green Line)
Your warehouse plays a critical role in customer satisfaction and profitability. Discover practical, cost-effective strategies for strengthening furniture retail warehouse operations—from navigating supply chain challenges and maximizing storage capacity to improving workforce productivity. This session will help you identify operational inefficiencies, control costs, and make smarter use of your space, people, and processes. Leave with actionable ideas to streamline your operation, improve service, and generate greater returns from the back end of your business.
Speakers: Billy Lindler
Navigating Import Tariffs
Educational Home Furnishings Association-HFA, Plaza Suites, Floor 1 Neighborhood: Downtown Main Shuttle Stop: 14 (Green Line)
Join an expert customs specialist for a practical look at how import tariffs affect sourcing, pricing, margins, and inventory in the home furnishings industry. Attendees will learn how tariffs are applied, where compliance risks and hidden costs arise, and how to use smarter planning, supplier conversations, and landed-cost analysis to protect profitability.
Speakers: Steve Fodor
Creative Strategies to Boost Sales and Drive Lasting Change
Educational Home Furnishings Association-HFA, Plaza Suites, Floor 1 Neighborhood: Downtown Main Shuttle Stop: 14 (Green Line)
Finding new ways to grow your store means thinking beyond the same old tactics. In this session, we'll share creative, actionable ideas that real furniture retailers are using right now to increase sales, strengthen customer engagement, and position your business for continued growth in the years ahead. You'll walk away with practical strategies you can put to work the very next day.
What Drives Today’s Furniture Buying Consumer
Educational Home Furnishings Association-HFA, Plaza Suites, Floor 1 Neighborhood: Downtown Main Shuttle Stop: 14 (Green Line)
Today’s furniture consumers are changing fast, and retailers must adapt to stay relevant. This session explores research-backed trends shaping shopping behavior, from small-space living and social commerce to trust, differentiation, and emotional connection. Attendees will leave with practical, low-cost strategies they can apply immediately, plus a USB stick filled with detailed solutions and take-home resources.
Speakers: Bill Napier
Beyond the Buzz: Using AI Insights Into Smarter Decisions
Educational Home Furnishings Association-HFA, Plaza Suites, Floor 1 Neighborhood: Downtown Main Shuttle Stop: 14 (Green Line)
AI is creating a lot of buzz in retail, and for good reason. It can surface powerful insights from your data, helping you spot patterns in sales performance, margin trends, and customer traffic that might otherwise go unnoticed. But it is equally important to understand its limits. We will explore how to combine data-driven insights with real-world retail expertise to make smarter, more confident decisions.
Speakers: Brian Dodge
Marketing That Moves People: How to Win Attention in a Crowded Market
Educational Home Furnishings Association-HFA, Plaza Suites, Floor 1 Neighborhood: Downtown Main Shuttle Stop: 14 (Green Line)
Furniture shoppers are overwhelmed with choices, inspiration, and promotions, making generic marketing easy to ignore. This session explores how retailers can sharpen their message, define their ideal customer, and create campaigns that feel relevant and memorable. Attendees will gain practical ideas for storytelling, positioning, and content that build trust, capture attention, and drive action.
Speakers: Richard Harris
Built for the Close: Capturing Every Holiday Selling Opportunity
Educational Home Furnishings Association-HFA, Plaza Suites, Floor 1 Neighborhood: Downtown Main Shuttle Stop: 14 (Green Line)
As retailers head into Black Friday and the holiday selling season, every customer interaction matters. Yet increased traffic doesn't automatically translate into increased revenue. This session explores how today's furniture shoppers evaluate big-ticket purchases, where retailers lose momentum in the buying journey, and how to turn more holiday shopping intent into completed sales without relying solely on promotions and discounts.
Speakers: Michael Olson