Wednesday, March 5

1:15 – 3:00 pm

Hot Topics: Using Industry Trends and Standards to Effectively Choose “Future Best Sellers”
Susan Savoie, Teacher Heaven and Cam Logan, Cameron Marketing Services

Do you need help determining what will sell this back to school season? What factors, in the eyes of parents and teachers, make a product fly off the shelf? Join us to talk about industry trends and “buzz words” and find emerging hot products with profit margins that are most rewarding. Learn to relate the vast assortment of new products to these trends so that you can influence profitable buying decisions. View examples of the latest and greatest new products. Audience participation will be encouraged and prizes will be awarded!

Selling Smarter, Selling More: Sales Strategies that Dramatically Boost Your Bottom Line!
Rich Kizer & Georganne Bender, KIZER & BENDER Speaking!

Today’s savvy customers want more than just a place to “buy stuff” – they can do that anywhere. Today they want to be entertained and visually stimulated, they want to work with professional associates who know their stuff. And they want to buy from companies that make their buying decisions easier. Therefore, you want that, as well. This Retail Adventure™ offers up ideas and advice you can take to the bank. You’ll learn how to use no-pressure sales techniques to gain additional sales, and you’ll learn how to get past “No thanks, I’m just looking” with techniques to effectively uncover what your customers want.

Wednesday, March 5

1:30 – 4:30 pm

Special Session: The Disney Approach to Leadership Excellence

In this hands-on 3-hour workshop, your Disney Institute facilitator will use their trademark interactive style to bring your program to life. Dynamic discussion and innovative exercises will allow your group to make their own discoveries. No boring talking heads at the Disney Institute. Here, you will be guided in exploring the way in which the Disney Approach applies to your organization. As you participate in this lively workshop, you will:

• Explore the legacy of Disney leadership
• Examine the power of the leader’s story and vision
• Engage in multiple application activities that will develop your leadership
• Identify Your Action Steps for applying new leadership strategies

(Please note: This workshop involves pre-registration and a separate fee – $75 for members, $125 for non-members. This session is limited to the first 100 registrants.)

Wednesday, March 5

3:15 – 5:00 pm

Partnering and Developing Strategic Alliances
Mike Marks, Indian River Consulting

Join us for a captivating and eye opening session on “The Cross Selling Future” for the educational products marketplace. Mike participated in lively discussions among industry leaders at the NSSEA September 2007 Joint Council and Board meetings, and is well positioned to relate his findings and the experience of dozens of other distributor organizations to this session. Mike recently completed a major research project on the channel challenges of direct selling, with the results being published by the National Association of Wholesaler–Distributors Institute for Distribution Excellence. This research will be linked directly to impacts, positive and negative, for our industry and channel. Some may not like what they hear about the economics and market forces that create these situations, but if you want a fact-based understanding of how this

situation will play out, this is a must-see session. Join your fellow retailers and distributors from across the country and around the world as you listen and learn from dynamic presentations designed to help you develop successful strategies for marketing your educational products business.

The 7 Essentials of Successful Retailing
Rick Segal, Retail Expert and Author of “Retail Business Kit for Dummies”

What are the common denominators for successful independent retailing? Every successful retailer is practicing at least some of the “Essential Seven.” The most successful embrace all Seven. This program will not only reveal the Essential Elements that are prevalent in successful retailers, but will also show you ways to use them in your own business. Rick’s session will include:

• The Seven Essential Skills for Successful Retailing
• The difference between Picking Winners and Being a Buyer
• How the winning stores sell and train their employees to sell
• The Power of Shopping and what to look for
• What we need to know about our customers and ourselves
• The right pricing policies for maximum return
• Number awareness - what numbers must you be aware of

Wednesday, March 5

3:30 – 4:30 pm

How to Eliminate the Bottleneck Between Credit and Sales (for Suppliers)
Panel led by Ronald Solomon, Founder, The Credit Collective & President, Swingset Press

The financial pressures from the increased costs of manufacturing, importing and shipping, coupled with the public’s reluctance to pay higher prices, have made profitability for educational manufacturers and distributors more difficult. Additionally, because of a reduction in the number of larger specialty game chains, game publishers and distributors have had to take increasingly larger risks with unknown debtors who seek longer and better credit terms. Based on these market conditions, it is essential that you know how to make solid decisions regarding the extension of terms. An expert panel will explore issues that are vital to the financial health of publishers and distributors, both large and small.

Thursday, March 6

8:00 – 9:00 am

Are Your Promotions Causing Commotions? In-store Event Planning 101
Rich Kizer & Georganne Bender, KIZER & BENDER Speaking!

Have you longed to host traffic-building, door-spinning promotional events? Do you want to be the next one to hold an event envied by retailers all across the country? Would you like to have at least one no-cost, low-cost in-store event penciled in for each and every month on your promotional planning calendar? Then this is the sales-building seminar you’ve been waiting for! Georganne and Rich will share the secrets to running successful in-store promotional events, plus all the pre and post planning essentials you’ll need to go along with them. Created expressly for retailers, this seminar is loaded with retailer-tested, tried and true Non-stop Traffic-Building, Profit-Producing, Attention-Grabbing, Sales-Generating, Competition-Miffing, Customer-Winner Retail Promotions you just can’t afford to miss! Here are some of the hot topics we’ll explore:

• Do Your Homework! Matching the Promotion to the Customer
• Holiday and Seasonal Events & Promotions
• How to Get Celebrities to Come to Your Store
• How to Run a Contest
• Creating Partnership Promotions
• Community Involvement Programs
• Creating Repeat Business
• How to Build a Master Plan
• How to Get the Biggest Bang for Your
• Promotional Buck
• How to Promote Your Store Like a Pro

This is a fun, entertaining, and motivating experience! You’ll leave armed with exciting event ideas and solid promotional planning skills that will bring a whole new intensity to your store.

My Favorites: Technology Trends, Applications & Gadgets
Jamey Firnberg, School Aids

Join Jamey Firnberg as he reviews his favorite technology applications, Websites, and gadgets to help you get organized, and better communicate and collaborate with others. Some of the applications featured are free and easy to use, some are not. He will also review some trends to help you gain knowledge and insight about your next generation of customers, and some trends that may disrupt the traditional distribution channels.

Retail Store Roundtable
Moderated by Members of the NSSEA Retail Store Council

One of the benefits in attending Ed Expo is the opportunity to network with, and learn from, a variety of retailers from across the country. In this session the Retail Store Council, your elected representatives at NSSEA, will facilitate discussions on subjects that are continually of interest to show attendees such as how to increase traffic in your store, promotions that work, and retail trends. Table topics include:

• Making the Most of Your Time at Ed Expo
• Direct Mail – Have You Done It? Does It Work?
• How to Reach Early Childhood Markets
• Discounts: Friend or Foe?
• Customer Loyalty Programs
• Special Events That Work
• What to Expect From Your Online Sales
• Improving 4th Quarter Sales

Friday, March 7

8:00 – 9:00 am

Technology Roundtable: What’s Working on the Web and In Your Business
Moderated by Members of the NSSEA Business Technology Committee

Are you making the most of the technology available? Join in discussions led by members of the Business Technology Committee on a range of topics focused on how you can use technology to support and grow your business. Hear tips and strategies you can use and exchange ideas with colleagues joining you at specific topic tables. Whether you are new to the technology arena or seeking ways to expand your current use of technology in your business, this session will help you make informed decisions. Bring your questions – share your experiences!

Roundtable topics and facilitators:

• Driving Traffic to Your Website- Mott Nolley, Director Sales and Marketing, and Daniel Lauve, Marketing and Promotions Manager, Harcourt School Supply
  
• Evaluating POS Software - Al Lepler, President, L.L. Weans
  
• IT Disaster Preparedness - Imagining the Unimaginable - Vicki Smith Bigham, President, Bigham Technology Solutions, Inc.
  
• Key Components for Website Design - Jim Holt, Senior Vice President, Business Development, and Bob O'Dell, Director, Data Warehousing Products and Services, Quality Education Data (QED), a Scholastic company
  
• Making the Most of NSSEA Technology Tools - Michael Friend, IT/Website Manager, National School Supply & Equipment Association (NSSEA)
  
• Successful E-mail Marketing Strategies - Jim Kolettis, Director of Marketing & Sales, Mahar Manufacturing
  
• Technology Devices For Improving Efficiency (inventory, etc.) - Brad Summersell, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Educators Resource

Know When to Grow
Tom and Todd Merryfield, The Learning Shop

Your first store has weathered the storm and is even making a nice profit, is the time right to open another location? Before you make the decision to expand, you will want to be sure your bases are covered. Tom and Todd will share what has worked and not worked in their store expansion history and will discuss how to manage, market, and finance growth. Bring your questions about whether the time is right to grow your business and learn what you need to know before adding a new store.

How to Evaluate Your Retail Store
Rick Segal, Retail Expert and Author of “Retail Business Kit for Dummies”

This program is designed to help you evaluate your retail business so that you will have a better understanding of your strengths, areas to improve, and how you compare to other retailers. The nine key areas that will be covered include store management, product, pricing, presentation, promotion, customer engagement, reporting, profitability, and technology. The goal is to provide you with the information that will enable you to run your business more efficiently, more profitably, and with more customer focus. Come to this session to:

• Learn what the winners are doing to become successful
• Learn how to evaluate your own business
• Recognize the strengths and weaknesses that need to be addressed
• Create an objective analysis of the viability of your business
• Benefits & Pitfalls of Working with Independent Reps (for Suppliers)

Moderated by Members of the NSSEA Independent Manufacturers Representatives Committee

The Reps will moderate a session on the role of independent reps in growing manufacturer’s business. A member panel made up of industry professionals that have worked with both independent reps and salaried sales forces will answer all of your questions on the role reps can play in growing sales. In the session, the following will be accomplished:

• What an Independent Rep is and how to hire the one that best suits your needs
• Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of using an Independent Rep
• Understand the costs of establishing your own “in house” sales force
• Know how much to pay your reps and the best method to manage their time effectively
• Review alternate methods in reaching this channel without the use of reps