Knowledgeable Industry Experts Participating In Global Home Textiles® Conference Program And Educational Seminars

An impressive assemblage of industry professionals will participate in the exciting conference program and educational seminars scheduled during the upcoming Global Home Textiles® and Global Home Décor® shows, which will be held at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas May 6 to 8, 2008.

"We are very pleased to announce our inspiring line-up of skilled industry experts who have agreed to participate in our dynamic conference program," remarks Penny Sikalis, vice president, global business development for leading trade show organizer George Little Management, LLC, (GLM®) which produces both shows. "This stellar collection of knowledgeable indu

"This stellar collection of knowledgeable industry executives will offer their expert advice and opinions on the key developments and changes in the international home fashions industry."-Penny Sikalis, George Little Management

stry executives will offer their expert advice and opinions on the key developments and changes in the international home fashions industry.

"The various educational seminars are designed to benefit both participants and exhibitors at Global Home Textiles and Global Home Décor," Sikalis continues. "We have developed a stimulating educational program for manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, retailers, distributors, product development teams, agents and service providers in the global home furnishings industry."

Conference speakers include attorney Roy Delbyck of Delbyck Law Offices in Hong Kong and San Francisco; Beth C. Ring, senior member and founder of the New York office of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg P.A.; David Blau, CEO and founder of EastWestSupplyChain; and Taylor Pillsbury, partner in Meeks, Sheppard, Leo & Pillsbury.

The conference program begins on Tuesday, May 6 with a full day of complimentary Country Spotlights. Participants will learn about the unique business opportunities, trade advantages and production capabilities of the following countries: Egypt, from 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.; China, from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.; and India, from 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. The Egypt Spotlight will be presented by Dr. Ashraf El-Rabiey, Minister Plenipotentiary and head of the Egyptian Economic & Commercial Office; other programs will be presented by delegates from each country. Admission is free, but advance registration is requested.

The conference program continues on Wednesday May 7 and Thursday May 8 with two seminars each day, presented by Nexco. The cost for a complete conference package of all four sessions is $250 in advance or $300 on site; individual sessions cost $75 in advance or $85 on site. All sessions will be followed by a question-and-answer period.

Roy Delbyck

The first seminar on Wednesday May 7 will be "Selecting Overseas Suppliers – Best Practices" and will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. This session is targeted at executives who are looking to import home products or expand their sourcing horizons. The seminar will be presented by Roy Delbyck, an attorney with offices in Hong Kong and San Francisco, and Beth C. Ring, senior member and founder of the New York office of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.

Delbyck represents U.S. and Asian firms throughout the supply chain and advises on a wide range of customs, trade and commercial matters. His clients include Li & Fung (Trading), William E. Connor & Associates, Charming Shoppes and Limited Brands.

Delbyck has served as governor and a vice president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and as the spokesman for the Chamber on textile and apparel issues. He also has published and spoken extensively on trade matters. Before establishing his firm in Hong Kong in 1993, Delbyck was a partner in the Hong Kong office of Baker & McKenzie. He received his JD degree from University of California, Davis, where he was a managing editor of the UC Davis Law Review. He received his BA degree from Connecticut College with a major in Chinese. Between college and law school, Delbyck worked for five years in the Hong Kong and Taiwan buying offices of a U.S. junior sportswear manufacturer as an office manager and quality control manager.

Beth C. Ring

Ring is a senior member and founder of the New York office of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. In over 30 years of practicing U.S. customs and trade law, Ring's practice has covered the gamut of customs and trade issues for clients in a broad spectrum of industries. She has extensive experience in representing importers regarding classification, valuation, transaction structuring, duty preference programs, trade remedy laws and trade policy issues. From 1987 to 1992, Ring was counsel to the government of the Dominican Republic in its textile quota negotiations with the United States. She also was appointed by the World Bank to conduct a study of the free zone program in the Dominican Republic. She assisted the government of El Salvador in rewriting its Export Promotion Law after successfully representing El Salvador in antidumping and countervailing duty cases.

Ring regularly lectures on United States customs law for various U.S. and international associations as well as teaching many of the customs law seminars which Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg publicly offers each fall and spring. She received both her bachelors and law degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, and studied international and European Community Law at The Hague Academy of International Law and the Free University of Brussels. She is a member of the bar of the State of New York, the Customs Committee of the American Bar Association, the event chair and board member of the Customs and International Trade Bar Association, the Customs Operations Committee of the American Association of Exporters and Importers, and the National Committee on American Foreign Policy.

The second seminar on Wednesday May 7 will be "Ensuring Product Safety & Quality Control" and will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This session will address concerns about quality control and safety of product. Topics include how to ensure a product is safe for a specific end-use and how to create/maintain a top-notch quality control system, including ensuring that suppliers and manufacturers know and adhere to U.S. laws. This seminar will be presented by David Blau, CEO and founder of EastWestSupplyChain. Blau has an extensive business background in management and international business spanning product development, marketing, manufacturing, sourcing, and fulfillment.

David Blau

With more than 20 years experience, Blau served as senior vice president and chief strategic officer at Sparkice, where he had business development, sales and delivery responsibilities for the North America region. Prior to that, Blau was CEO of a public cosmetics company, which sold to both the mass and prestige markets. He also has experience in writing instruments, decorative accessories and stationery. Blau is well known for his expertise in direct marketing. He ran one of the first U.S. based home shopping services and was one of the first to sell business publications within China. Blau has sourced and purchased products from China and internationally for more than 20 years.

The first seminar on Thursday May 8 will be "Introduction to Importing/Sourcing" and will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. This session will cover government regulations, quotas, free trade agreements, rules of origin, and other important compliance issues specifically affecting the home products industry. Participants will learn about document clearance, INCOTERMs, post-entry requirements and the legal issues. This seminar will be presented by Taylor Pillsbury, partner with Meeks, Sheppard, Leo & Pillsbury in Orange County, California. Pillsbury has extensive experience representing multinational corporations in all matters involving the United States Customs Service, including compliance, tariff classification and product valuation matters.

Taylor Pillsbury

Prior to forming MSL&P with Meeks & Sheppard, Pillsbury directed the customs and international trade consulting practice on the West Coast for a major accounting firm. Before that, he spent seven years with a well-known customs law firm in San Francisco representing the top customs surety companies having joint customs liability for the majority of American importers.

From 1990 to 1991, Pillsbury worked for the Orange County District Attorney's office prosecuting criminal actions in Superior Court. Prior to his entry in the legal field, he reported for the Boston Globe newspaper. Pillsbury is a member of the State Bar of California, and is admitted to the Court of International Trade and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He has a BA from the University of Colorado, a JD from the University of San Diego School of Law and holds a customs broker license. He has also studied at the Institute on International and Comparative Law, Moscow, USSR.

The second seminar on Thursday May 8 will be "Using Free Trade Agreements to Your Advantage!" and will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This session will explore Free Trade Agreements throughout the world, and address the specific agreements the U.S. has with various countries, including the US-Israel FTA; US-Bahrain FTA; NAFTA, CAFTA and many others. This seminar also will be presented by Pillsbury.

Both Global Home Textiles and Global Home Décor serve U.S. importers, wholesalers and mid- to large volume retailers seeking to source directly from overseas producers. Global Home Textiles showcases home textiles manufacturers and their manufacturing capabilities and will feature an estimated 350 manufacturers from around the world, including suppliers of bed, bath and table linens, window treatments and home furnishings fabrics.

The new, complementary Global Home Décor show highlights home decor manufacturers and their manufacturing capabilities and will present an estimated 300 overseas suppliers of accent furniture, home accessories, lighting, tabletop and giftware to North American home décor buyers. Global Home Décor will showcase manufacturers from India, China, the Philippines, Japan, Mexico, Indonesia and other countries.

To register for the conference program and individual seminars, simply go to: http://www.globalhometextiles.com/design/showinfo/programs.html. To make conference program reservations and purchase tickets during the show, go to the Show Office on Level 1, open during all Show hours. Tickets are non-refundable.

Global Home Textiles once again is co-locating with GLM's Gourmet Housewares Show®, which also will be held at the Sands Expo, as well as the National Hardware Show®, Lawn & Garden World® and the Homewares Show™, produced by Reed Exhibition at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Frequent shuttle buses will run between the convention centers and hotels to allow visitors to maximize their show experiences. Badge reciprocity will allow market participants into the co-located venues. The combined home products trade shows are expected to draw more than 40,000 participants, including an estimated 4,000 total exhibitors.

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