There’s no question the crowds were lighter at Surfaces this year but every manufacturer I spoke to said they were surprised that business at the event was much better than they expected. No one I spoke to was disappointed. All the “A” players were in attendance and they were buying. The “B” and “C” players didn’t show up. A couple of guys told me this was one of the best Surfaces they’ve had, adding lines to outlets they didn’t have before and selling a bunch of product. It certainly wasn’t all gloom and doom by any means.
I had a very well attended seminar on Monday morning at 9:00 am, the day before Surfaces began. The General Session, featuring executives from Shaw, Mohawk, Beaulieu, Armstrong, Mannington and Mapei was attended by 1,000 people and addressed the state of the industry and where they felt things were going. It will be, and I completely concur, a long, slow recovery but recover it will with a pent up demand. Randy Merritt, President of Shaw, said they started seeing a down turn 18 months ago and that he feels the flooring industry is a good indicator of economic conditions, and I agree with that observation.
I was also involved in a panel presentation with INSTALL on installation problems and issues. With me on the panel were Dewey Taylor, whose been in the industry and associated with installation for 50 years and Ray Thompson, who has over 40 years of installation expertise in vinyl flooring and concrete substrates. I was the youngster of the group with only 38 years experience. This was also a well attended seminar that consisted of lots of questions and answers. I thought this was a great program and format in which pertinent information was shared.
In the two programs I was involved in at Surfaces there were people in attendance that had never been to Surfaces before, a new generation that was excited about being a part of this event.
There were some beautiful new products being shown as well. Being a carpet guy first and foremost I was impressed with the luxury products available. Masland had some of the most beautiful new introductions and most luxurious at the show. This is the type of product that’s selling today but you have to match the image of the product to be successful with it. The same is true of carpets from Kane, very different and very luxurious products that inspire excitement. Carpets from JMish, Couristan, Stanton, and other high end manufacturers are aspirational products; products women will aspire to own because they exude luxury and are truly fashion for the floor. Beaulieu, with their Bliss program is actually the only manufacturer that has targeted women with a concept presented by a woman, Patricia Flavin. They alone have addressed one of my pet peeves in the industry. We make a fashion product purchased almost exclusively by women and yet there are virtually no women in positions to market and promote it. I hope this is a wake up call for manufacturers to come out of the ether and understand what business they’re in – style and fashion – and who their customer is – women. What an obvious fact that they’ve been oblivious to. The economic slowdown is an opportunity for us to capitalize on bringing the industry in touch with the real purchasers of the product. I spoke with some people from one of the big three about this and they are getting ready, they said, to put a women who’s with the company to work in creating a better relationship with the female customer. There is no doubt the floor covering industry is expert at manufacturing, technology and management but they are woefully deficient at marketing and knowing who their real customer is and it’s not the retail dealer. The true expert at this was Tom Durkan of Durkan carpet fame. Tom knew what business he was in and who to hire to represent his products – he was highly successful at it.
After having attended this Surfaces I’m excited about 2009 and the opportunities that exist for growing our business. Surfaces allowed me the opportunity to connect with the wonderful camaraderie of the industry and feel the energy to get charged up for the future. For this alone you should have been there. You can’t really be in this industry and truly know it if you don’t participate in it.
Author: Lewis G. Migliore
LGM and Associates – The Floorcovering Experts